SL Tennessee honored by Roane State
One of Anderson County’s biggest employers has received the prestigious Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in Philanthropy from the Tennessee Board of Regents for the company’s ongoing contributions to Roane State Community College.
Roane State President Dr. Chris Whaley nominated SL Tennessee, LLC, for the honor. SL Tennessee LLC, which makes automotive parts and is located in the Clinton/Interstate 75 Industrial Park, has over the years provided invaluable help to the college, officials said.
“We’re glad to be able to contribute to the local community by supporting Roane State and other community colleges,” said Scott Laska, manager of SL Tennessee.
The company has expanded five times over the past 14 years and recently announced an $80.5 million expansion that will add 1,000 new jobs over five years. Laska said SL Tennessee now has 950 employees.
SL Tennessee has an ongoing partnership with Roane State’s Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility, located in a former National Guard Armory.
Students there receive hands-on instructions in the upkeep of modern-day machinery used in manufacturing.
The company helped create and develop an injection molding program for mechatronics students and donated equipment and personnel to establish a “hands-on” lab in the facility.
In addition, SL Tennessee provides ongoing support for worker training and spent more than $65,000 with Roane State in 2017 for non-credit training of company employees. The company also provides internship and co-op opportunities to Roane State students as well as hiring them after they graduate.
SL Tennessee’s “continued support of education and workforce as a whole supports the Anderson County manufacturing sector and provides this area with a workforce that is trained to meet the needs of the state of Tennessee,” according to the nomination.
“Roane State Community College is proud to be an education and workforce development partner with SL Tennessee.”
Roane State is part of The College System of Tennessee, state’s largest public higher education system, with 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology and the online TN eCampus serving approximately 100,000 students. The system is governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents.