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ATAC RECOGNIZED FOR INNOVATION IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
     AUBURN – Auburn Technical Assistance Center (ATAC), an Outreach unit of Auburn University College of Business, received the 2007 Innovator Award from the Southern Growth Policies Board during the board’s Southern Workforce Summit conference June 3 in St. Louis, Mo.
      ATAC shared the honor, presented by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, with the city of Auburn for the joint establishment of the Auburn Training Connection.
     Formed in 1976, ATAC serves as AU’s liaison in the in the area of workforce development. ATAC works with business and industry locally and throughout the state and region to implement strategies and programs for improving efficiency and competitiveness.
      “We have worked with the city of Auburn and its Economic Development Department for a number of years supporting its efforts to ensure that a skilled and sufficient workforce is available in the area to meet the demands of incoming and existing industry,” said ATAC Director Henry Burdg. “In 2002, we co-developed the Auburn Training Connection as a not-for-profit 501 (C) (3) partnership among industry, education and government to be a central point of focus for this effort.”
     Local industries support the Auburn Training Connection through a modest annual membership fee. These member industries drive and shape the program, which – in addition to its association with AU -- includes a unique arrangement with the Auburn High School and Southern Union Community College to sustain a State Department of Education certified Industrial Technology curriculum.
      Southern Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan public policy think tank based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Supported by memberships from 13 Southern states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico – Southern Growth Policies Board presents the Innovator Award annually to programs recognized for initiatives that are improving the quality of life in the South. For more information, visit the Southern Growth Policies Board web site at www.southernideabank.org/items.php?id=2631.
     Auburn Technical Assistance Center was established in 1976 and is an affiliate of the Alabama Technology Network and an Economic Development Administration University Center. As an arm of the Auburn University College of Business Outreach program, ATAC provides business and technical assistance, customized training, and consultation in implementing value-added strategies to manufacturers and other businesses, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies in Alabama and the Southeast. 
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CONTACT: Mitch Emmons, (334) 844-3881, emmonmb@auburn.edu.

ATAC Affiliations
		EDA University Center