POWERGRAMS

29 parts for shipping on the north end of the plant. Scores of steel hanging racks are filled with parts and transported by small, flat AGVs (automated guided vehicles) that scurry throughout the plant on computer-programmed routes. The baery-powered AGVs eliminate the use of manned forklis. An overhead conveyer system moves the parts through the immersion painting section. Although much of the plant is automated, the human touch is required for many of the important jobs. The facility has two eight-hour shis five days each week, with most workers off on weekends. Their product will be shipped for final assembly of cars at plants in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. "This plant is currently shipping well over 2 million parts annually and will easily double that as we reach full production," Bryom says. BEVILL STATE A BARGAIN FOR LOCAL STUDENTS Nestled in a hilly, residential area, with a city park and scenic creek leading to its doorstep, Bevill State Community College's Jasper Campus is easily the equal of the most picturesque schools statewide. From the stately Davis Hall and Murphy Hall at the entrance, to McCutcheon-Fair Hall at the back, the 17 buildings between Indiana and Gamble avenues provide local students an opportunity to further their learning without leaving town. "It is a gorgeous campus," says Tana Collins, PR director of the Bevill system's oldest school. "And it saves students a lot of money, costing less than half the price of a four-year institution. A lot of times a student or their parents aren't quite ready for a four- year college. Bevill State provides a seamless transfer aer two years." Bevill State has agreements with four-year colleges, including Birmingham-Southern, UAB and the University of North Alabama, which guarantee that credits for courses completed in Jasper will transfer to the universities. "We make sure our students aren't wasting their time or their money," Collins says. Nearly 700 students were on campus last fall, with more than 500 others taking Bevill State's online courses. Top-performing local high schoolers can begin taking Bevill classes in the 10th grade, allowing some of them to begin college at the sophomore level. Overall enrollment numbers are expected to soon grow, with welding courses moving from the nearby Bevill Sumiton campus to the new Rapid Training Center in the Jasper Industrial Park. The center received a $1.92 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for retraining adult workers to help offset job losses from the declining coal industry. Last year, the college established an apprenticeship program with Alabama Power and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to award college credits for on-the-job training. This year will see the opening of the APC Heating, Ventilation and Air Bevill State Community College has 17 modern buildings for more than 700 students.

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