CCC&TI Hosts Ribbon Cutting for Paul H. Broyhill Center for Advanced Technologies

HUDSON, NC (December 9, 2021) — The public got its first look inside the new Paul H. Broyhill Center for Advanced Technologies facility in Hudson this week as Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute hosted a ribbon cutting and open house event on Wednesday, Dec. 8.

Government, education and business leaders, as well as family and friends of the building’s namesake, the late Paul H. Broyhill, gathered in the parking lot at the corner of Pine Mountain Road and Hickory Boulevard in Hudson for the ceremony. Located in a 13,600-square-foot former retail building, the new facility focuses on preparing students for 21st century technology and manufacturing jobs.

CCC&TI President Dr. Mark Poarch, in his remarks at the event, thanked the Broyhill family for more than 50 years of support for the college. He said the building’s emphasis on technology and innovation is a fitting tribute to Paul Broyhill, who passed at the age of 97 in October.

“I know he is watching from above today and he’s smiling with pride as we provide an educational venue that represents so much of what he stood for,” Poarch said. “He was a man who stood for innovation and progress and dedicated his career and his life to making Caldwell County a better place for its people. And that is exactly what this place is designed to do – to make life better for those who enter its doors through educational programs designed to prepare students for high-demand, high-wage jobs in our community.”

Speaking on behalf of the Broyhill family was Hunt Broyhill, Paul Broyhill’s son.

“He built factories, he bought machinery, he was always reinvesting in the business and so he was proud of being a leader in that kind of innovation,” Hunt Broyhill said of his father. “The other thing that he would be most proud of was he would say that he was a builder of people, and throughout the decades he had many opportunities to do just that. But I think most importantly he was a builder of communities. This community was his home. He loved this community, and I don’t think that there’s a better junction of these three ideas or concepts than this building.”

The building houses the college’s Engineering and Industrial Systems Technology programs, which include training in Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Machining and Mechatronics. The building offers a simulated factory environment with high-tech equipment used in industry.

Funding for the building and the equipment inside came from several sources, including: the Broyhill Family Foundation, Caldwell County, the Golden Leaf Foundation, the Cannon Foundation and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Hudson Mayor Janet Winkler, Caldwell County Commission Chairman Randy Church, Caldwell Economic Development Commission Executive Director Deborah Murray and Caldwell Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Moore.

Following the formal ribbon cutting, guests were invited inside for a reception and tours of the classrooms and labs.

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