Looking at the cover, most of you wouldn’t think that the cover of the Springfield Business Journal for the month of March 2017 has anything to do with what we are doing at Black Sheep or Dumb Records. The headline is “Hope For A Bright Future” and has a photo of Clavin Pitts who is director of a new Southtown-based business called South Town Training Center. Calvin has been hard at work renovating two buildings located at 1124 and 1122 South Grand Ave East, right across the street from Dumb Records and right next door to Walch’s Stained Glass Studio for close to a year now. From the article:

Inside a nondescript brick building in Springfield’s South Town business district, a wall covered with clear acrylic instead of drywall illustrates various tools and electrical wiring standards. Between the wooden studs, next to lineman pliers and a conduit bender, are inspirational messages about leadership and discipline.

Calvin Pitts built the wall as a teaching aid inside his South Town Training Center, which he’s opening this year as a space dedicated to offering construction training for people who might not have any other opportunity for a career. It’s an expansion of work Pitts started four years ago, providing job training and a healthy dose of hope. Soon, his students will learn skills such as solar panel installation and radon testing and mitigation through partnerships with other Springfield organizations.

Check out the full Springfield Business Journal online right here. The South Town Training Center’s program is set to be in full effect this spring as they are putting finishing touches on getting the buildings ready. It is certainly great to see new businesses popping up in our neighborhood!