A $5 million federal grant will allow Arizona Western College to expand its existing manufacturing programs and provide additional support to small manufacturers across Southwest Arizona.
On Sept. 21, U.S. Small Business Administration representatives formally presented the grant at AWC, with U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar among those in attendance.
Lisa Shimkat, associate administrator of field operations for the SBA, said part of the agency’s goal is to call attention to programs that are already working.
“This is what we need to do is just raise the flag saying, ‘There are really amazing things here, and there are really amazing programs happening from semiconductors to welding, etc.,’” she said.
Shimkat said visits around the country have also reinforced how closely manufacturing growth is tied to workforce development.
“We got to see how much we can't talk manufacturing without talking workforce,” she said. “Workforce is so important to help us figure out how we can create sustainability in our domestic supply chain. That's what we're trying to do.”
The grant is part of the SBA’s $50 million Manufacturing in America Empower to Grow (E2G) Grant Initiative, and AWC was one of 11 organizations nationwide selected for funding.
“This is a great day for Yuma, Arizona,” said AWC President Dr. Reetika Dhawan. “We are the only community college in the south, in the west who won this grant. This is huge to the Yuma community.”
Shimkat elaborated on the competitive nature of the grant, noting that the SBA received thousands of applications.
“We had applications from all over the United States,” she said. “Our team went through every single application, and this was one of the ones that rose to the top. It talks about partnerships, commitment to the community, working with manufacturers and having strong, diverse existing programs out there — whether it's semiconductors to welding, etc. That's what we need to build the workforce for tomorrow.”
Shimkat explained that the E2G grant is focused on workforce development as a means of supporting manufacturers because it’s “so important to continue strengthening our industrial base all across the United States.”
For this grant, the SBA sought existing programs it could expand rather than funding programs built from scratch.
“We looked for the best existing programs that were out there that we could really ramp up, that we could strengthen with this money,” Shimkat said. “This money was not intended for a new program because then it's one and done.”
The college’s proposed budget for the grant is designed to support AWC’s established manufacturing training models, including the Wellton Manufacturing Training Center and the Manufacturing Business and Automation Accelerator (MBAA), which provides hands-on manufacturing training and comprehensive business advising to small manufacturers and startups across Southwest Arizona.
At the check presentation, Dhawan outlined three tracks for the funding:
- Help established manufacturers modernize, adopt automation and optimize their manufacturing processes.
- Turn ideas into real businesses.
- Help existing companies break into larger supply chains and win government contracts.
“In 12 months, our goal is to assess 50 manufacturers, and then we aim to have 25 companies modernized and at least six win new contracts,” she said. “... We want these small manufacturers in our region to grow higher and compete, and we want our students to be part of that success.”
Dhawan said the grant could also help small businesses navigate hurdles they may not have the staff or money to handle on their own. Small companies, she said, may lack the expertise to prepare competitive bids or navigate the legal and procedural requirements of government contracting.
“It's very expensive to hire someone for those contracts,” she said. “Here we can give them all the guidance they need for free of cost.”
As an example, Dhawan said a new business trying to win a military contract at Yuma Proving Ground would face a whole different set of challenges.
Another example: Someone has an idea and wants to start a company, but they need an expensive computer numerical control, or CNC, machine they can’t afford.
“We will buy, house [it] there and they can utilize that for a year and afterward as well, so that they don't have to buy that expensive equipment,” she said.
More broadly, AWC says eligible small businesses will receive free courses, practical workshops and one-on-one advising aimed at expanding their operations and workforce, navigating regulatory requirements and competing for government contracts.
Dr. Shadi Kilani, executive vice president of AWC’s Entrepreneurial College, said the college started implementing its plans for the grant as soon as it learned it would receive the funding.
AWC is now hiring staff, reaching out to partners and developing implementation steps.
“We are confident in our team and in our ability to deliver, and we are essentially trying to engage as many partners as possible,” he said. “And we're always open for anybody to reach out to us and share their ideas or their willingness to work with us.”
Excited about the future, Shimkat said she hopes to return.
“I would love to come back a year from now to really see how strong they've grown this program, and how the local community and the local manufacturers have embraced it to have the successes,” she said. “That's what we want to highlight moving forward.”
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Reporting for this article is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
Note: Arizona Western College is KAWC's license holder.
