BEST PARTNERS — The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce announces the BEST partnership between Cleveland Tubing Inc. and Blue Springs Elementary School. From left are Sherry Crye, the Chamber’s director of workforce development; Angela Lawson, Blue Springs’ principal; and Chris Turner, Cleveland Tubing’s general manager. All BEST partners receive a signed, framed certificate and a flag to display at their respective business or school to identify them as a participant in the Chamber’s BEST partnership program.
The new partners signed the agreement at the elementary school. BEST, an acronym for Business & Education Serving Together, is a workforce development initiative of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce.
“Our BEST program brings together a business and a school for the mutual benefit of both,” Nancy Neal, the Chamber's vice president of communications, said. “We have seen some creative partnership efforts over 18-plus years of the program, and the end result is that the school, the business and ultimately the community all benefit.”
Cleveland Tubing has been a manufacturing, engineering and product development mainstay in Cleveland since 1989. The company is noted for its innovation, integrity, employee and community involvement.
“One of Cleveland Tubing's core values is involvement,” Chris Turner, general manager, noted. “By being involved in our community, we invest in our company's future. Partnering with the education system provides meaningful opportunities to make these investments in our community.”
Turner continued, “We are excited to join the good work underway with Blue Springs Elementary, the Blue Springs Elementary PTO and Southern Heritage Bank [also a BEST partner]. By combining our talents, resources and experiences, we believe this group can create innovative ways to serve and challenge our students.”
Cleveland Tubing will bring to the school its spirit of innovation, actions guided by integrity and leadership in the community.
Angela Lawson is principal of Blue Springs Elementary School, still a rural community school located in south central Bradley County after almost 115 years.
“Blue Springs Elementary School is where children come first in a partnership of discovery,” Lawson said. “The partnerships that have been formed over the years with Blue Springs Elementary provide additional resources to meet the needs of students and their families. Cleveland Tubing is our newest addition in the list of local churches and businesses that partner with us to achieve our goal of putting the needs-academically, emotionally, physically-of children first.”
She continued, “The energy and innovation that Cleveland Tubing is bringing to Blue Springs Elementary School are electrifying. The administration and PTO leadership have found in this local manufacturer an ally that is willing to recruit additional support from area businesses to assist in community and school projects aimed at family engagement.”
Lawson also noted “meaningful collaborative partnerships are the foundation for success in education and in business. The insights that we bring to each other create a powerful dialogue toward progress in both fields. The foresight that members of the Chamber of Commerce exemplified when the BEST Partnership was initiated is far reaching. We are indeed grateful for the continued support of our long-standing BEST partner, Southern Heritage Bank, and welcome Cleveland Tubing to the partnership.”
Cleveland Tubing is an active member of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce since 1994.
Schools in the Bradley County and Cleveland City School Systems have one or more local business partners as part of the BEST program. Private schools that are Chamber members may also participate in the program.
“We are always happy to find member businesses that are interested in making a difference in our local schools by becoming BEST partners,” Sherry Crye, director of workforce development, said. “The proximity of Cleveland Tubing and Blue Springs in the south end of the county and their commitment to producing the best, whether products or prepared students, make this partnership an excellent fit.”
