TECT Aerospace pledges $150,000 for naming rights at Sumner Campus
With excitement looming for the opening of the new Cowley College Sumner Campus Technology and Innovation Center in the fall of 2018, and the Short General Education Center in the fall of 2019, TECT Aerospace in Wellington, KS, has announced its pledge of $150,000 for naming rights at the Sumner Campus.
“We view this as an investment in Wellington and the surrounding communities,” TECT Aerospace director of human resources Linda Coleman said. “The Cowley College Sumner Campus will provide training that produces a pipeline of employees for TECT Aerospace and will provide jobs for the future. We are excited about this extension of our partnership with Cowley College as the education provided at the Sumner Campus will be so beneficial to both TECT Aerospace and the areas surrounding Wellington.”
The pledge will give TECT Aerospace the naming rights to many areas of the Sumner Campus. The machine tool /machining lab at the Technology and Innovation Center will be named the TECT Aerospace Machining & Fabrication Laboratory, while the lobby of the Tech building will be named the Kenneth E. Glass Technical Excellence Atrium. Ken Glass is the owner of TECT Aerospace and other associated businesses.
The names selected for the College reflect TECT Aerospace’s unique capabilities in the aerospace industry. The lobby of the Short General Education Center will be named the TECT Aerospace Miracle of Flight Lobby; the multi-purpose/lecture room will be named the TECT Aerospace Complex Assembly Room; the academic center will be named the TECT Aerospace TECTnology Center; the conference room will be named the TECT Aerospace Quality Conference Room; two classrooms will be named the TECT Aerospace Innovation Classroom and the TECT Aerospace Hypervelocity Classroom; while plaques recognizing TECT Aerospace will be placed on two outdoor benches on the Sumner Campus with the words “TECT Aerospace Invested in You” and “TECT Aerospace Meeting Commitments”.
“These type of dynamic and generous partnerships are what energizes me, because these partnerships equally account for what needs to be accomplished today as well as balance the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow,” Cowley College president Dr. Dennis C. Rittle said. “Thank you to the leadership of TECT Aerospace for sharing in this visionary project to equip our workforce and strengthen our communities.”
Scott Brown, vice president and general manager of TECT Aerospace, said the company has invested over $25 million in capital equipment in the Wellington, KS facility over the last two years.
“TECT Aerospace will continue to invest in Wellington and hopes to see growth in this community,” Brown said.
The $150,000 amount pledged to Cowley College’s Sumner Campus will consist of both cash and a donation of material from both the Wellington and Park City TECT Aerospace facilities to be used by machining students at the College. TECT Aerospace’s pledge will leave the Cowley College Foundation just short of $300,000 raised for the Sumner Campus.
“This generous pledge by TECT Aerospace demonstrates its deep commitment to the work Cowley College does in educating students and providing a skilled workforce,” Cowley College vice president of institutional advancement Dr. Kori Gregg said. “We at Cowley College are inspired by the dedication and generosity of donors like TECT Aerospace.”
TECT Aerospace manufactures complex aerostructure components, parts and assemblies from the full spectrum of traditional and aerospace alloys. They specialize in complex, structural and mechanical assemblies, machined components, and sheet metal fabrication for countless aerospace applications. The company currently produce thousands of machined parts and assemblies that are used in many types of aerospace structures, including fuselage and interior structures, doors, wings, landing gear, struts & nacelles, and cockpit windows.
Jerry Little, TECT Aerospace operations manager, said the Wellington facility is growing and has current job openings and the Cowley College Sumner Campus will help fill that need.
“We are looking to hire quality trained machinists and keep people working in Wellington,” Little said.
For information on additional naming rights opportunities at the Cowley College Sumner Campus please contact Dr. Kori Gregg, Cowley College vice president of institutional advancement, at 620-441-5245, or contact Lena Spencer, Foundation coordinator, at 620-441-5319.