Over the coming weeks, and as a follow-up to the editorial written by Dr. Betty H. Adams, Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, we will be posting a series of Q&A vignettes. The vignettes will feature SVHEC clients, partners, students, and staff, and will provide an opportunity for readers to see how our community looks through the eyes of others. The Q&A below is with Jeff Norris.

Jeff has been an integral part of the creation and launch of the USA-TopSolid Institute (USA-TSI) at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC). He hails from Columbus, Ohio, an urban mecca of 1.6 million people. Jeff owns and operates Grandview Technologies, where he works with the software manufacturers use to engineer everything from vacuum cleaners to clocks. He also works one-on-one with manufacturers to automate their engineering processes through the implementation of software solutions.

Jeff: My initial visit was before the Business of Art & Design Lab (home to the Product Design & Development program) was in place. At that time the lab space was just an open room. I’d already worked with Kevin Chrystie on some TopSolid CAD/CAM software training, and had extensive conversations with Kevin and David Kenealy (SVHEC Director of R&D). I was elated about their perception of the woodworking industry and how they wished to affect it through education. For me, it was all about the people. There are plenty of other attributes to South Boston for sure, but initially it’s always the people and their enthusiasm. On my first visit I don’t believe I even got a full glimpse of what’s offered at the SVHEC, but again I was so impressed with the people I was encountering here. I was impressed with their enthusiasm and their regard for human capital and the possibilities for industry around here.

During my follow-up visit I got to see more of the SVHEC and South Boston. We had dinner at the Bistro where the food is as good as any place I’ve ever been in the world. Even in just going to the Bistro the people are very inviting and interested in what you do and who you are. I found out about the Prizery, and that in and over itself is unique for a smaller town like this. The Prizery is very impressive to me as someone who comes from an arts community in Columbus. The people that I meet are very enthusiastic about this place and they’re happy to tell you about what’s available and the resources.

Jeff: As far as the opportunities available to the general populous, I can’t think of anything like this in my city. We have a community college that’s giant and we have the Ohio State University, the biggest university in the country. But the scale of those makes it so easy to get lost. Something like the SVHEC seems more attainable. When I come here I just feel a more direct connection to the people.

Jeff: I’m constantly amazed at the people I meet here. I met with a manufacturer yesterday and what should have been a one hour meeting turned into a six hour meeting because they’re very enthusiastic about what they do and they have a lot of ideas. Just look at Clint Johnson and his interaction with the Product Design & Development students and the projects they’re doing—they’re not just your status quo projects at all. It’s more encompassing than the curriculums I’ve experienced in regards to the woodworking industry. They consider a project from marketing and sales through the manufacturing and design. Most places you go want to box it into one department that says "this is how you make it" and some completely different department says "this is how we sell things," but then they don’t understand how you make it. All of those things are connected especially in wood products and they get that here.

Jeff: It’s the willingness of people to act on their ideas as opposed to just coming up with ideas. It’s very easy to discuss things and have brilliant concepts but acting on them is the hard part. The manufacturers I’ve worked with here, the IDA, the SVHEC…they act on their ideas. Even the students like Ben Scarborough (adult Product Design & Development student) and the high school students they’re amazing. Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia see that in this institution—that they’re doing things, they’re making things and that’s why they gravitate towards this institution.

Jeff: That’s a bigger question than just this community. I think it’s very easy for people to be complacent in that it’s not easy to just run out and find a high paying, comfortable position but there’s opportunity everywhere. This is something I say every time I come down here. I’m just amazed at the opportunities available here. I think the one student Ben is a good example. I don’t know his history, but he’s learned an amazing amount of stuff here that makes him much more valuable anywhere. Even if the job isn’t directly available that doesn’t mean you can’t be doing things to make yourself a more marketable candidate. The fact that he has access to this (i.e. the level and quality of equipment in the Business of Art & Design Lab) is amazing. I can’t think of anything like this that’s available in my community of 1.6 million people. Certainly you could enroll at OSU and they may have something similar, but it’s not nearly as accessible.

As far as the economic opportunities, what I’ve seen with the IDA and the people involved with it, they seem very engaged with the community and trying to push those things forward. Every time I come I remark that there’s just so much opportunity.

Read other Q&A Vignettes

Gladdy Hampton & Kenny Stevenson