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Tuesday, 07 April 2026
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Written by Luis Velez, Waleed Mohamed
FTCC and FSU are partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy to train the energy efficiency professionals our region needs—starting now.
Fayetteville Technical Community College and Fayetteville State University have launched the Building Training and Assessment Center, a hands-on workforce training initiative funded by a $900,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant, covering tuition costs entirely for students, meaning qualified students can gain new certifications and skills at no cost to them.
The timing couldn't be better. Southeastern North Carolina is seeing over $400 million in state-funded construction and renovation coming to Cumberland County, including $160 million on the FSU campus. Fort Bragg, the largest military installation in the United States, has federal energy audit mandates covering millions of square feet of building space, and Cumberland County Schools is actively working to reduce energy costs across more than 90 buildings. Meanwhile, less than 1% of commercial buildings in the county are ENERGY STAR certified. For trained workers, that's not a statistic—it's a market. The demand for energy-efficient construction and energy assessment expertise has never been greater. And BTAC exists to train the workforce to meet it.
Training Details
Each BTAC course runs 120 hours (approximately 2–3 months) and leads to Department of Energy industry-recognized certifications. Four courses are available:
• HVAC/R: Heat pumps, EPA Universal certification, smart thermostat systems
• Electrical: LED lighting, sensors, smart controls, low-voltage applications
• Carpentry: Energy audits, insulation, window installation, energy-efficient construction
• Solar Energy: Photovoltaic technology, inverters, commercial solar systems
Construction and renovation firms across our region and throughout the North Carolina area are actively seeking workers who can identify and implement energy savings strategies. This training positions you directly for those roles. And with certifications in hand, you become a more competitive candidate the moment you complete the program.
The BTAC isn’t just a training program. It’s a community investment. FSU brings academic depth and workforce connections. FTCC brings hands-on facilities, continuing education expertise, and industry understanding. Fayetteville Public Works Commission adds utility-sector partnerships and the capacity to conduct real energy assessments for local businesses and institutions. Together, these three organizations are building a pipeline of skilled workers for a region that desperately needs them.
Spring & Summer 2026 Schedule
• HVAC/R | April 13 – May 8 | Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Electrical | May 11 – July 1 | Mon–Thu, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Carpentry | June 2 – July 23 | Mon–Thu, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Electrical | Aug 10 – Sept 30 | Mon–Thu, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Classes are scheduled evenings and weekdays to accommodate working adults. Pre-registration is required.
Who Should Apply
The BTAC welcomes construction, HVAC, electrical, and solar professionals looking to expand their skills; career changers entering the green economy; veterans and military-affiliated individuals seeking civilian career pathways; and anyone motivated to earn an industry certification in under three months.
DOE grant funding covers tuition. Space is limited—pre-register today. For more information, visit faytechcc.edu/btac-grant or call 910-678-8494.
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Tuesday, 07 April 2026
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Written by Lia Tremblay
The recent growth at Cape Fear Valley has been hard to miss, with the new School of Medicine rising over Village Drive and the Center for Medical Education and Neuroscience Institute on Melrose Avenue. Dozens of clinics across eight counties now boast the Cape Fear Valley name, along with schools of nursing and health at multiple local colleges and universities.
But the meaning behind this expansion goes way beyond brick and mortar. Each new development aims to bring high-quality healthcare closer to home for southeastern North Carolina patients and their families.
“When we have the technology and the people we need to treat patients right here, we don’t have to send them far away to Duke or UNC,” said Mena M. Samaan, MD, Director of Neurointerventional Services. “That can make a big difference in the outcome for those patients.”
A board-certified neurologist, Dr. Samaan has advanced fellowship training in vascular neurology and endovascular neurointerventional surgery. His arrival at Cape Fear Valley earlier this year represents a major upgrade to services for complex cerebrovascular conditions such as stroke, aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation and carotid artery disease.
“Basically, anything in the blood vessels from the neck up,” he said. “With minimally invasive procedures, we can use imaging to find the problem and address it.”
It’s a big step forward for local care. Like most hospitals, Cape Fear Valley has historically given emergent stroke patients a “clot-busting” medication to restore blood flow, and then quickly transferred them to larger hospitals like Duke for a thorough investigation and treatment of the cause.
“But as we say, ‘Time is brain,’” said Dr. Samaan. “Every minute, about two million neurons die. So time is of the essence, and it’s better not to spend that time going to another hospital.”
Of course, this important work can’t be done without the proper tools. Dr. Samaan is looking forward to the arrival of a million-dollar machine that will help him to clearly see the task before him. Using two rotating X-ray cameras, the biplane imaging system produces exquisitely detailed images of blood vessels and blood flow in real time. This helps doctors like Dr. Samaan to see precisely where a vessel is blocked or damaged and to quickly treat the problem.
“That will make a big difference in outcomes,” said Dr. Samaan. “We will see less disability coming from strokes, shorter hospital stays, less rehab time.”
Dr. Samaan’s work isn’t limited to strokes, of course, but they have been a major focus of his career. And because Fayetteville is nestled in the “Stroke Belt,” a portion of the United States where strokes are more prevalent, his efforts will be especially meaningful at Cape Fear Valley.
“We have a very susceptible community here,” he said, “with a lot of vascular, cardiac and neurovascular problems. So we have been very focused on bringing stroke care here to the next level.”
While settling in at Cape Fear Valley, Dr. Samaan has been impressed by the efforts to bring talented providers to the area and to upgrade care across all the health system’s services. He said the biplane imaging system is a perfect example of the investments being made in a higher level of care for the region.
“The quality team has been taking a great lead on improving the patient experience,” he said. “There has been so much effort to make significant improvements and invest in the things we need. I have seen great support from the administration, and it means a lot.”
Dr. Samaan said he was first drawn to his specialty by a desire to solve complex problems, and he’s grateful for the opportunity to do that in a supportive environment with a great team and the right tools.
“That’s really what brought me to the endovascular field,” he said. “I want to help these patients, to get them into a better position than when they came in and get them back to their family and their life."
(Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Valley Health)
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