$22 million McHenry County College building to be funded, in part, with $6 million from Foglia Family Foundation, other donors

A new $22 million building project at McHenry County College will be named Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation, the college announced at an unveiling Wednesday morning.

The college learned last year it would receive $15.8 million from the state as part of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital plan.

The remaining $6 million, it was revealed Wednesday, will come from donations from the Foglia Family Foundation and other contributors. The Foglia Family Foundation is a major donor in McHenry County and beyond that helped save the YMCA in Crystal Lake from bankruptcy in 2011 and financed other major projects.

“Education and job creation has brought us to this moment,” McHenry County College President Clint Gabbard said. “The project we are about to give a name to today represents one more piece to the puzzle. And yet, it is an important piece, maybe a quarter piece, because it declares our intent to invest in the next generation of workers.”

The building is meant to work as an inspiring place for those entering manufacturing and technological jobs, Gabbard said. It is expected to drive the community’s economy as it encourages them into potential careers.

The building will focus on various career-building courses, including welding, construction management, industrial maintenance, engineering technology, artificial intelligence and computer numerical control machining.

“They will actually be able to practice the skills that they’re going to use and be able to walk into the job and think, ‘I know what I’m doing. I’ve done this in the labs at school,’ so it really builds their confidence,” McHenry County College manufacturing management instructor Heather Zaccagnini said.

Vince Foglia, vice president of the Foglia Family Foundation and founder of SAGE Products, has worked with the college for 40 years. The donation from Foglia and his family shows their continuous care for the community and ensures a vibrant future in manufacturing, Gabbard said.

“I would like to say we’ve been investing in this community in one way or another for all of the 40 years we’ve been out there,” Foglia said. “As a capitalist, I would say we’ve got a pretty good return on our investment – for everybody. We’re proud to be with you guys today and look forward to seeing the building finished with that name on there.”

The building is designed by Ross Barney Architects and is expected to be competed by 2023.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the $6 million in donations is coming from the Foglia Family Foundation as well as other donors. The Northwest Herald regrets the error.