CAO-23-5169

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1. 1Sep 19, 2023
   Board of County CommissionersRS4ProclamationAdopted

   Approved minutes

   Approved to adopt.

   Open this item →▶ Play from 1:38:55
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   Jack MarianoChair

   1:38:55Tom, come on up.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:38:57All right. Anyone here from Am Skills, please come to the podium.

   Tom Madano

   1:39:00Somebody has to move it. Okay.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:39:04I'll go ahead and read the resolution. Resolution number 23 206, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, recognizing the opening of the AM Skills Workforce Training Center, whereas manufacturing stands as a cornerstone of the United States economic and national strength, contributing significantly to job creation, innovation, and overall stability. And whereas Pasco County Acknowledges that a vibrant manufacturing sector plays a significant role in our community for both industries

   1:39:34and families and recognizes that the strength of the manufacturing relies upon the recruitment, education, and training of individuals equipped with necessary expertise to cultivate a skilled workforce. And RAS AMSkills is a Florida not-for-profit organization established as an economic development initiative to help manufacturers recruit, plan, and sustain a skilled workforce with the mission of transforming lives and strengthening communities through workforce training and apprenticeships for youth, adults, veterans,

   1:40:04and uniquely Abled, um, I'm sorry, the uniquely abled and economically disadvantaged. ANRAS, the first AM Skills Workforce Training Center, a 14,000 square foot advanced manufacturing training facility constructed in Holiday, is now open, addressing the workforce recruitment and skills training needs for manufacturing, public works, utilities, and other industries in the Tampa Bay area by providing training opportunities. for persons with little to no skills or experience employers and those

   1:40:34with experience who are ready to advance their skills in areas of maintenance, machinery,

   Tom Madano

   1:40:40MACATRI.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:40:41Thank you. Macatronics. You knew exactly what I was gonna stumble on. Uh robotics, supply chain logistics, and industry four point oh. And whereas the new AMSkills Workforce Training Center will not only train residents, but it will also draw people from all over the country For Ammetrol Technology Technical Training and Universal Robotics Equipment Training, resulting in additional dollars to Pasco County's tourism industry and other local businesses. And res this new facility will be

   1:41:11home to the Pasco County Economic Development Council's Smart Start Incubator, offering local Pasco County entrepreneurs the support they need to successfully start their. New businesses. And whereas to celebrate the grand opening of this new facility in conjunction with National Manufacturing Day, Amskills and the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will host the 10th annual Manufacturing Day dinner on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023, at the New Center. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of

   1:41:41Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby designates the Amskills Workforce. Training Center as one of the premier workforce training establishments within Pasco County and celebrate Amskill's accomplishment accomplishments as it continues to transform the lives of members within the community. Done and resolved in regular session with a quorum present and voting this 19th day of September 2023. Move

   Marlita Lasseter

   1:42:04to approve.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:42:05Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Commissioner Starkey, today's the day you get two resolution. You got two good ones.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:42:13Uh but this is this had to be done before um uh October fourth. So um welcome Tom and Alex. Uh we're so happy to have you on board. And um and I just wanna thank all the county staff who have helped us to To get this building open. and all the support. We are really making a difference in the Tampa Bay area. uh for many people and many companies and I think we should all be really proud of what's going on here and I'll turn the mic over

   1:42:43to Tom and definitely want to introduce our new employee and and um partner and talk about what's happening.

   Tom Madano

   1:42:49Thank you, Commissioner Starkey. I wanted to say a few words. Wait. I forgot my notes. Hold on. Jeff, can you bring the notes up?

   Barb Ross

   1:43:00Wow.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:43:05Oh, I love it.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:43:09Wow.

   1:43:12That's nice.

   Ron OakleyVice Chair

   1:43:15That

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:43:15was

   Ron OakleyVice Chair

   1:43:15awesome.

   Tom Madano

   1:43:17That's a delivery. So this is our other addition to uh AM Skills. Uh my name is Tom Madonna, the president CEO of AM Skills, and uh by my side is Alex Anzoloni. He is our new COO. He comes from a vast background in uh with the university systems, as president of uh several colleges, but has built programs like ours. So we are ready to take AM skills to not too

   1:43:42Yeah. So uh we're very excited about where we are today. Um As you mentioned, we've got a new fourteen thousand square foot building that's gonna be open and basically it's gonna help people who know nothing about manufacturing and you just wanna come in and learn uh how to use electricity uh or fix a light switch all the way up to extremely advanced skills in things like mechatronics, which is fixing and building machines, by the way. So we created AM Skills over nine years ago with

   1:44:13workforce uh in mind, uh, economic development and this initiative to help our manufacturers not only recruit but keep skilled labor. And so that's the reason we were actually created. But our as we said, our mission is transforming lives. So we're literally helping people who have no idea these careers exist. to actually be introduced to these careers. We're placing in these jobs. We've helped hundreds of people secure jobs as well. We've been able to bring in millions of dollars of grants right here into

   1:44:43Pasco County and to our program. In addition, we are flying people in as well who are learning how to use equipment, teachers and instructors from all over the country on how to learn to do training of equipment and things like that. So, lastly, I just wanted to say we couldn't do it. I want to recognize a few people. Obviously, I want to start, if I could, with Commissioner Starkey, who's a co-founder of AM Skills as well, a board member and Just been very supportive. But also the commission to you

   1:45:13all for your support, uh, for being behind us. The county administrator, we want to thank you obviously for in all of the county departments, as you mentioned. It's been a long haul to get us here. Uh, I didn't mention we've got four and a half acres, fourteen thousand square foot building fully renovated, and we're ninety percent debt-free. So, as a nonprofit, that's expensive. Extremely uh a great way to get started. Um Congressman Belarakis, who's helped us to secure funding with HUD, Dr. James Gills, who uh been

   1:45:43a great supporter of ours, and obviously the Department of Commerce, the Florida Department of Commerce, the Florida Department of Education, and many others, which you're gonna learn about if you come to our October 4th opening. And I want to close with inviting you to come to that and thank you all again for your support.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:46:00Okay.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:46:01Thank you. All right, let's take a photo. I'll go ahead and say

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:46:03a few words? Huh?

   1:46:17Oh yeah. Right? And you were in the school board. I wasn't here and we were like pushing along and um Commissioner Starkey, the work you've done to help promote them as well nationally has been phenomenal too. Uh statewide, et cetera. So

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:46:27we are known

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:46:28national.

   1:46:30Yeah, so w y your your leadership there has been tremendous, but and Tom, how you've just gone to grow and and do it so fiscally responsibly has been tremendous. So you're doing a phenomenal job helping our citizens and and just creating jobs for us in in lives. for people. So thank you.

   Seth Weightman

   1:46:49I'll just sure I'll just piggyback on top of the

   1:46:54for our residents to succeed, to succeed. And endeavors like yours to succeed, we need to have job creating properties. And so we need to, as we go into these afternoon sessions, as I continue to beat my job and protect and stand and support our job creating properties. So We can have a a great relationship and and keep moving moving in the right direction. So thank you guys.

   Ron OakleyVice Chair

   1:47:17Thank you. Ms. Roakley. Yes. Done a great job. You come a long way from where I first met you and all of them. Driving around with a truck and a trailer and You know, doing what you do the best so I appreciate everything you're doing. I I enjoyed seeing your little friend bring you the uh And um I went out and visited with Saint Leo University not long ago and they have a robotics uh degree I think they offer now. And it's pretty amazing when you're talking

   1:47:47to a robot and it talks back to you. So Pretty amazing stuff and a lot of things can happen from that. So I appreciate it.

   Seth Weightman

   1:47:56One more one more thing, go back time. Commissioner Starkey and if Ralph's Ralph's here going back to the Speaker Weatherford days. Isn't that when you brought that forward however long ago?

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:48:06Yep.

   Seth Weightman

   1:48:07Well it was uh Ralph Ralph is here, so you know, just give a grin to Ralph too uh on this one.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:48:13We wouldn't have started if it wasn't for Speaker Weatherford's um sprinkle at the end of the year. Um And uh yeah, thanks Ralph. And you were in his office then. So um that's what got us started was that one point two. Actually it ended up one point one five mil from the state. Um And boy, it's been I will tell you, it's been We Tom and I laugh. Like one step forward, three steps back. Uh I don't I don't know We I've been accused of all kinds

   1:48:43of things with this. I was personally profiting and Um We uh we have we have we have seen a lot through this journey, but you know, we stayed positive and we stayed on our mission and we wanted to show everybody that um this kind of program can coexist with the colleges. and um the other programs that are out there. I I tell 'em we're here to polish your apple. And not everyone wants to go to a two year program to get a job. Um

   1:49:14and lots of people who are currently employed wanna be upskilled while they're working and And We just have that ability to be flexible and non-um bureaucratic, and that's what industry needs. So we're industry led. And um I'm just really proud of it. I really am. And I want those jobs back from China and some other places, so it's kind of a patriotic thing for me. I think it's national security that we know how to make our own things. So it's important. I

   Tom Madano

   1:49:44appreciate all

   1:49:45the questions.

   1:49:45If I could mention one final point, this is actually the start of manufacturing month. So for this is basically a play time for people to learn about this industry. I didn't mention we have 160 kids in our manufacturing program at Enclode High School now. So it's growing. Uh a lot of success and a lot of it's thanks to you all. We appreciate greatly appreciate it.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:50:03And we have kids that have been employed by Pasco County Attorney. How many this year?

   Tom Madano

   1:50:08Yes, absolutely. We had twelve kids. I didn't mention that. We had twelve kids go through the summer internship program this summer. Uh this year we m ha started it after graduation. Therefore we had uh four kids who had already graduated and three of them were hired by the public works departments in the in uh here in Pasco County. So that's actually become another area that we're gonna be able to see growth in and help uh those industries as well.

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:50:32Awesome.

   Tom Madano

   1:50:33Let's go

   Jack MarianoChair

   1:50:33take a picture.

   Kathryn Starkey

   1:50:48You're with us.

   Ron OakleyVice Chair

   1:50:53Just just repeating.

   1:51:16That's

   Bob

   1:51:17great. Okay, folks, right here, please, this camera first.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:51:23Awesome.

   1:51:24Thank you all.

   Ron OakleyVice Chair

   1:51:26Thank you.

   1:51:38Alex, you want to do that really quick?

   1:51:42No, I don't know.