Huntington’s Robert C. Byrd Institute gets a new name

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — A longtime Huntington institute that trains and molds workers for technical and skilled trades is getting a new name.

The Robert C. Byrd Institute is being renamed to the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center, according to a news release from Marshall University.

“Our continuous commitment to the major areas of emphasis resulting from West Virginia Forward effort has guided our strategic areas of focus at Marshall University. Advanced manufacturing remains a tremendous growth area for our state and surrounding Appalachian region. Building on the decades of innovation at the Robert C. Byrd Institute, we are further strengthening Marshall University’s position as a national leader in this important sector,” president Brad D. Smith said in the news release. “Our rebranding effort builds on this strong foundation and sets the stage for boosting the center’s services and training options ten-fold.”

RCBI was founded in 1990 and has delivered manufacturing training to more than 26,000 individuals and, on average, serves 300 businesses per year, the news release said.

The name change is effective immediately.