Three Questions for Middle Georgia’s 21st Century Partnership

September 29, 2022

ADC had a conversation with retired Brig. Gen. John Kubinec, president and CEO of the 21st Century Partnership, about how Middle Georgia is supporting its installation. You can learn about dozens more community-installation partnership success stories at ADC Installation Innovation Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 in Phoenix.

ADC: It’s been almost 20 years since a joint land use study kicked off innovations in your region. What are the top ways Middle Georgia has changed in that time?

Kubinec: A lot of communities can say they support their base. Middle Georgia proved it after the 2004 JLUS by coming together to raise the funding needed to solve the most pressing issue in that study. They, along with the state, raised over $30 million to eliminate encroachment to Robins Air Force Base. They then used that land, with significant investment by Georgia Power, to develop one of the largest solar power plants associated with a military base that provides resilient power to both the community and the base.

This is just the start of partnerships with Robins, providing capability to the warfighter and solving problems. The community partnered to create: Robins North, combining higher education, training and real-world workplace operations focused on aircraft maintenance; a software lab called Blue Sky, teaming Robins’ software mission and a local university’s engineering and computer science schools; and Project Synergy, a first-of-its-kind program connecting high school students to internship opportunities and learning about software missions in person.

This is just a small sampling of what this community has done to support Robins and Air Force.

ADC: What are your priorities for the coming years?

Kubinec: Middle Georgia, through a grant from the Economic Development Agency and the state of Georgia, is building the Middle Georgia STEM Alliance, an organization focused on building the STEM workforce and businesses in the area, and the Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor, focused on building the innovation needed to support our local businesses. These two are connected to develop a regional ecosystem of innovation. This grant also includes a supporting mobile lab through Fort Valley State University and a robotics/AI lab through the Central Georgia Technical College. Through these programs, Middle Georgia is preparing the workforce and businesses needed for the future at Robins and in the community at large.

ADC: How important has the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) been in your achievements?

Kubinec: OLDCC, then the Office of Economic Adjustment, provided the funding and support for the JLUS and has been a supporter of all our ADC communities for years. It helped with the Middle Georgia Charrette and Regional Planning effort to help build a resilient community. Through that study, Middle Georgia identified the technology roots we have in the region. This resulted in the OLDCC-supported Middle Georgia Innovation Project that mapped the innovation ecosystem of the region and looked at the innovation performance here. Without OLDCC support, Middle Georgia would not have access to resources, grants and buy-in from our community members.

Robins Air Force Base 21st Century Partnership photo by Debra Cox

September 29, 2022

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