The Forge in Jefferson will have a grand opening event on Saturday.

The Forge is where Pillar Technology, a part of Accenture Industry X.0 employees can create new technologies and discuss the uses of them. The event will feature keynote speakers including Governor Kim Reynolds at 7pm on the northside of the Greene County Courthouse. Reynolds is excited about the company bringing not only their software development company to rural Iowa, but also a training program that will allow for graduating high school students to have a higher salary job, with little to no college debt. She hopes this same kind of idea can be implemented across the state and the country.

“I love the fact that it’s being launched in Jefferson, Iowa, that we’re leading on this. I believe this is cutting-edge careers that it’s going to provide people in rural Iowa. It will bring people, I believe, to the area and help keep our young people there (in rural Iowa). It is a win-win on so many levels.”   

Reynolds adds this is another aspect that relates to her Future Ready Iowa Initiative. It is Reynolds’ goal to have at least 75-percent of Iowans have education or training for jobs, beyond high school, by 2025. 

Linc Kroeger with Accenture will be another speaker and he invites everyone out to the event.

“I think when people come for the grand opening on September 7th, they don’t want to miss it because it is going to be a grand event. This is our first one and it’s hopefully a fantastically successful proof of concept. So be sure to make it September 7th if you can and experience it yourself and decide.”

The event will also include open house tours of the Forge from 4-7pm, along with a free barbecue meal on the square at 5pm. There will also be informational sessions for 7th-12th graders and their parents at the Sierra Theatre from 4-5pm. Everything is free and open to the public.