HANK DEWALD
HERALD STAFF WRITER

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD PCB Piezotronics workers use microscopes and soldering irons to construct sensors which are used by a wide range of industries to measure acceleration, dynamic pressure, vibration and other forces. Advertisement

HALIFAX – PCB Piezotronics in Halifax has joined the ranks of many successful businesses across the state that have taken a challenge from and implemented changes suggested by a unique program called Industrial Extension Services at North Carolina State University. Thursday morning, the company received a special award for reaching the $1 million economic impact milestone.

Actually, PCB’s economic impact was $1.8 million in value based on the improvements suggested to the manufacturing processes at the almost new facility on N.C. Highway 903 in Halifax.

The 1B4NC award is awarded to companies that report $1 million or more in value from the N.C. State Industrial Extension Service (IES) which may include jobs saved or created, increased sales or cost savings. It is part of a promise by IES to create $1 billion in economic impact for North Carolina by 2010. Since January, 2006, IES impact for the state is more than $464 million.

The Thursday morning award ceremony was attended by Halifax County Board of Commission Chairman Gene Minton, County Manager Tony Brown, Assistant County Manager Linda Taylor, Interim County Economic Development Commission Director Cathy Scott, Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce President Alan Purser and many other local business and civic leaders.

Van Rogerson of the Northeast Commission and Donna Phillips of the North Carolina Department of Commerce were also present. The Northeast Commission, formerly known as the Northeast Partnership, was heavily involved in luring PCB to this area when the Buffalo, N.Y.-based company began looking to expand several years ago.

“This is a great story of people moving into the region, recruited by the Northeast Economic Development Commission, the Department of Commerce and the regional economic development commission. We’re real proud to have these people here with us today,” said Rex Raiford, area supervisor for IES, as he introduced Teresa Helmlinger Ratcliff, the executive director for Extension Engagement and Economic Development at N.C. State, to present the award.

After a brief description of the IES mission at N.C. State, Ratcliff said, “We can’t do our job unless we have outstanding companies, with outstanding employees and leadership to take on the responsibility for meeting the challenges it requires to innovate economic change.”

The changes implemented at PCB were done over a two-year period. Jim Kurian, an extension specialist with the Lean Enterprise Advancement Program at N.C. State, spent more than 55 days at the plant during the past year, working in partnership with PCB to streamline processes and procedures throughout the manufacturing process.

After the presentation to all of the plant employees, PCB supervisors John Driscoll and Rick Grier took a group through the entire building pointing out changes that were implemented that have cut costs, saved time and actually led to the addition of 10 jobs at the Halifax plant.

Driscoll said this new plant in Halifax is much more receptive to change than the long established plant in Buffalo, N.Y., and the employees in Halifax have willingly participated in this program, often suggesting their own ideas about how to do their jobs more efficiently.