Important News

PORT ST. JOE (WMBB) — Eastern Shipbuilding had its grand opening event for its new facility at Port St. Joe on Thursday. The facility is already operational, with about 125 employees, and around 200 people working on the vessels daily, President of Eastern Shipbuilding, Joey D’isernia said. 

Planning for the facilities opening began in 2012-13, before being delayed due to Hurricane Michael and the COVID-19 pandemic, D’isernia said. With over 100 jobs already created by the creation of the plant, there are expectations that the facility will improve the local economy.

Read full article at https://www.mypanhandle.com/news/local-news/eastern-shipbuilding-officially-opens-facility-in-gulf-county/

As construction crews were busy clearing the site for ST Engineering’s second hangar at Pensacola International Airport on Thursday morning, local officials, dignitaries and ST Engineering executives gathered in front of the first hangar to mark the beginning of the construction of Project Titan.

The $210 million project will bring three additional hangars for ST Engineering’s aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Pensacola. The project also will add administrative office space to two of the new hangars.

The project was expected to begin last year but faced a nearly year-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full article

CRESTVIEW — Local tech entrepreneur and education leader Paul Hsu doesn’t understand “no,” “delay” and “maybe,” Triumph Gulf Coast Board Chairman Don Gaetz told an audience of more than 200 people Wednesday evening at Bob Sikes Airport.

They were gathered in an almost 27,000-square-foot former light manufacturing facility that, thanks to Hsu’s vision, has been renovated into a multimillion-dollar school called the Northwest Florida State College Aviation Center of Excellence.

What Hsu understands is, “We’re going to do the right thing, we’re going to do it for the young people of Northwest Florida and we’re going to do it now,” Gaetz told the crowd at the center’s grand opening.

Read full article at https://www.nwfdailynews.com/story/news/local/2021/06/24/nwf-state-college-aviation-center-crestview-opens-at-bob-sikes-airport-first-students-august/5320385001/

Today Triumph Gulf Coast committed over $18 million in new grants that will yield at least 5,380 new industry certifications for high paying, in demand jobs requested by employers to meet the region’s needs for a trained workforce in Cyber Security, Logistics and Distribution and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML).

The Board gave final approval to Pensacola State College’s new Commercial Truck Driving training facility in Milton, moved forward Florida State University’s Cybersecurity and New Technologies Program in Panama City as well as partnered with Okaloosa County School District to develop and implement a state-of-the-art AI/ML Career and Technical Education (CTE) program.

In collaboration with Triumph, Northwest Florida education institutions continue to submit proposals that break down traditional ways of educating students resulting in exciting new collaborations and outcomes. These projects set the stage for the region to be competitive in tomorrow’s economy while also providing the education opportunities needed for jobs that support today’s growing and resilient communities. 

Santa Rosa County

The Triumph Board unanimously approved the final agreement with Pensacola State College for a $3,862,950 grant towards the creation of a new logistics and distribution commercial vehicle driving (CDL) program in Milton that will result in at least 1000 CDL licenses. Grant funds will be used to provide students space for up-to-date instruction, simulation, and on-the-road training, in addition to a recognized official testing site that will better equip students for employment in the industry. 

This project was created in response to a growing need expressed by employers to CareerSource Escarosa for trained/licensed commercial vehicle drivers and the desire of many of their clients to receive this training. Further research and examination of the labor market confirmed that there is need for the program. 

The PSC training program will enable students to earn Commercial Class “B” Driving and Commercial Vehicle Driving Certifications (Class “A”)  making graduates eligible for many jobs requiring a CDL license including “long haul” trucking positions, local delivery truck positions and school bus drivers among others.

Bay

The Board moved forward Florida State University Panama City’s (FSU PC) request for $11,500,702 to establish the Advancing Science and Career Education in New Technologies (ASCENT) project which will result in at least 3,280 industry certifications.

Key highlights of the project include integrating cyber security education into numerous academic programs through an Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Hub, supporting local industry cyber and new technology training needs and partnering with the region’s K-12 school districts to recruit, hire, and train teachers to teach technical fields.

Recent discussions with local superintendents have highlighted a common challenge, a need for trained CTE teachers in the 8-county region. Through the ASCENT project, FSU PC will provide ongoing professional development and support for teachers including engaging FSU students and faculty to assist teachers with classes and teacher workshops. ASECNT will also provide support to career academies and summer camps building a robust pipeline of interest in new technologies among the region’s youth.

Okaloosa

Okaloosa County School District’s (OCSD) request for a $2,840,000 Triumph grant to create the Artificial Intelligence Learning Institutes advanced toward a final agreement. Recognizing the intensity and pace at which the field of Artificial Intelligence is advancing OCSD plans to work with the University of Florida to develop and implement a model industry certification program in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for K-12 students that can be replicated across Northwest Florida.  

AI/ML impacts every industry in Northwest Florida including drone technology and logistics and distribution. Building a long-term AI/ML talent supply in the region will give students an advantage when entering a career or continuing to postsecondary education in cutting edge fields including  Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, AI Architects, Big Data Engineers and Business Intelligence Developers. 

The Artificial Intelligence Learning Institutes will also provide evidence to companies seeking to expand or relocate to Northwest Florida that the region’s schools can serve as national model for Career Technical Education. This program will result in students earning at least 1,100 industry-recognized credentials in AI and related fields. 

The Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors is appointed by the Governor, Chief Financial Officer, Attorney General and presiding officers of the Legislature. The appointees to the Triumph Board are Lewis Bear, Jr., Allan Bense, Dr. Pam Dana, Chair Don Gaetz, Ben Lee, Stephen Riggs, IV and Matt Terry. All meetings of the Board are public.

Please take notice that on June 1, 2021, at its regular meeting, the Board of Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., will take up for consideration and intends to approve the following proposal for amendments to existing funding pursuant to s. 288.8017, Florida Statutes (2017):

Proposal #49:
Applicant: Panama City Port Authority
Additional Funding Request: $0
Other Amendments:  Extend Job Creation Performance Metric Deadline by 18 months to June 3, 2024
View Summary of Proposed First Amendment to Grant Award Agreement

Proposal #213:
Applicant: Florida’s Great Northwest, Inc.
Additional Funding Request: $68,000
View Summary of Proposed Second Amendment to Grant Award Agreement

Proposal #98:
Applicant: Walton County Sheriff’s Office
Additional Funding Request: $200,000
Other Amendments: Increase Matching Funds by $200,000; Adjust Budget Amounts Between Budget Categories; Extension of Completion Dates Due to Construction Delays; Increase by 60 the Number of Required Certifications to Satisfy Performance Metrics
View Summary of Proposed Second Amendment to Grant Award Agreement

Proposal #209:
Applicant: Santa Rosa County, Florida (Project Lionheart)
Additional Funding Request: $0
Other Amendments: Change Performance Metrics to Require More Jobs but at Lower Wage Rate
View Summary of Proposed First Amendment to Grant Award Agreement

Any person interested in being heard on these matters may attend and address the Board prior to a vote on approval of any award.  Information regarding the time and place for the June 1, 2021, Board Meeting may be found by clicking here, under the Meeting Materials tab.

Any questions or inquiries regarding this notice or the award may be directed to:  Cori Henderson, Program Administrator at [email protected]