McHenry County College debuts Foglia Center, with eye on innovation, tech – and filling McHenry County jobs

McHenry County College students now will earn manufacturing and industrial degrees at the multimillion-dollar Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation that officially opened Tuesday.

The state-of-the-art building, which broke ground in 2022 at MCC’s Crystal Lake campus, has more than 45,000 square feet of classroom and laboratory space, a community maker space and a small business incubator. The open-concept facility features floor-to-ceiling windows, bright yellow accent walls and catwalks that overlook the hands-on classrooms below.

[ Photos: MCC's Foglia Center for Technology and Innovations opens ]

“We can build a healthier, stronger, better McHenry County,” MCC President Clint Gabbard said at the opening day celebration Tuesday. “This is a big deal.”

The center offers nine associate’s degrees and 39 certificates in Architectural and Engineering Design Technology; Automation, Robotics and Mechatronics; Construction Management; Engineering Technology; Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning; Industrial Maintenance; Industrial Management and Technology; Precision Machining; and Welding and Fabrication.

Representatives of locally based companies such as General Kinematics and Stryker, which merged with Sage Products in 2016, were at an open house in July to showcase what careers in the fields look like. The programs are “employer-driven curriculum” that provide hands-on experience, MCC Precision Machining instructor Tom Pleuger said.

MCC began classes two weeks ago, and contractors still are working on finishing touches for the building, Gabbard said. More than 360 students are enrolled in Foglia CATI-related programs this fall.

An estimated 15,000 manufacturing jobs are based in McHenry County alone, Gabbard said, adding that a big worry for employers is finding enough qualified newcomers to outpace the workers set to retire. He said the Foglia Center will “change the economic future” of the county.

“Finding skilled talent is their primary business challenge. They need this,” he said.

Former Sage Products Chairman and CEO Vince Foglia – the vice president of the Foglia Family Foundation, which the college called a “strong advocate” for the center and other MCC initiatives – said he found it increasing difficult to find workers with technical skills as automation grew more popular in the industry.

“You need trained people,” Foglia said. “This kind of education is more and more important. We would not be world-class manufacturers without things like this going on.”

More than 100 people attended the opening day event including local business leaders and MCC faculty, as well as McHenry County Board Chairman Michael Buehler and Crystal Lake Mayor Haig Haleblian.

The Foglia center cost more than $29.6 million to create, according to MCC documents. A little more than 72% wof that as funded through Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois Plan. The Foglia Family Foundation donated about $2.2 million and MCC paid about $6 million.

A little more than $1 million for equipment was funded by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville. Another $1.69 million was awarded through the Advance McHenry County grant – a program that uses federal COVID-19 relief money for economic recovery. The award supported more than half of the equipment costs for the new center, according to a MCC news release.

The facility also is home to the Fabrication Lab and Maker’s Space, which provide networking, prototype and design development opportunities to MCC students and the community. The college is collaborating with Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry – which in May officially changed its name to Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry after a $125 million gift from the Citadel founder and philanthropist – to provide programming including MCC’s Kids and College program, personal development classes and partnerships with students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.

“Some 11-year-old is going to be inspired in our Fab Lab through this partnership and she’s going to start dreaming and making something that could make a difference in her world,” Gabbard said. “And guess what? She’s going to do it.”