JONESBORO – Arkansas State University’s Career Readiness Education and Skills Training (CREST) Center, a workforce development facility currently under construction, has received a $500,000 gift from Hytrol Conveyor Company, officials announced. The donation makes Hytrol the initiative’s founding industry partner.
"CREST was never intended to be something A-State could build alone," said interim Chancellor Calvin White Jr. "Its success depends upon bringing education and industry together around a common goal: creating more opportunities for the people of Northeast Arkansas while building the workforce needed for the future."
The CREST Center is designed to address workforce needs by collaborating with employers to identify current and future skills requirements. Once completed, the facility will prepare individuals for success in rapidly evolving industries.
Hytrol, a Jonesboro-based manufacturing company with over 60 years of regional operations, emphasized the importance of investing in local workforce development. “Our future is tied to this region, and we believe that one of the most important investments that we can make is in the people that drive that future,” said Philip Poston, chief administrative officer at Hytrol.
The ASU System Board of Trustees recently announced that the primary workforce training space in the CREST Center will be named the Hytrol Workforce Training Room in honor of the company’s contribution. Phase one of the center’s construction will include this 26,000-square-foot facility, scheduled for completion in spring 2027, with classes anticipated to begin that fall.
“When completed, the Hytrol Workforce Training Room will be a place where people develop skills, discover opportunities, and prepare for careers that can change the trajectory of their lives and those of their families,” said White. Poston added, “We like what that room will represent. It will be a place where people gather to learn, develop new skills, collaborate, and prepare themselves for what's next.”
The $18 million first phase of development is a collaboration supported by a $7.5 million grant from the Arkansas Department of Commerce through its Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED) program. Additional funding has been committed by Craighead County, Jonesboro Unlimited, and the Workforce Training Consortium (WTC).
Mark Young, president and CEO of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, connected the CREST project to regional planning efforts that began decades ago. “CREST is the culmination of that vision that happened over 30 years ago,” Young said. "It will provide not only an opportunity for employers to better prepare the existing workforce, but it also provides an opportunity to train the future workforce. CREST will play an impactful, meaningful role in people’s lives."
When completed, the CREST Center will span 70,000 square feet across three phases of construction, with the goal of creating a hub for workforce training and collaboration involving Arkansas State, ASU-Newport, Arkansas Northeastern College, and other education and community partners.
“We are proud to be the founding industry partner,” Poston stated. “We look forward to continuing the work alongside Arkansas State and the many community partners that will make CREST successful.”