Portage Lakes Career Center

What Portage Lakes Career Center does

Portage Lakes Career Center (PLCC) is a public career and technical education institution located in Uniontown, Ohio, founded in 1977 and operated under a local Board of Education as a government state entity. The school delivers shared-time CTE programming to high school juniors and seniors from four partner districts — Coventry, Green, Manchester, and Springfield — who spend half of each school day in hands-on labs across automotive technology, welding, HVAC, electrical technology, cosmetology, culinary arts, fire academy, healthcare (practical nursing, dental assisting, phlebotomy), engineering processes, and robotics/advanced manufacturing. PLCC also runs an Adult Education division offering tuition-based programs with financial aid, GED vouchers, and evening schedules, and operates two student-staffed public-facing businesses — PLCC Salons (cosmetology services) and The Neon Lime restaurant (culinary arts) — that double as training environments and community engagement channels.

PLCC's revenue model is a hybrid of state CTE funding for the high school division, tuition for adult learners (with financial aid and no hidden fees), and modest transactional revenue from the student-operated salons and restaurant. Distribution is exclusively campus-based at the Uniontown facility, with go-to-market executed through direct recruiting of partner-district 10th graders (Sophomore Visitation Days, Career Exploration Open Houses, Career Tech Tuesdays), and adult-learner acquisition via website, phone inquiries, and community partnerships. Marketing channels span the plcc.edu site, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube, partner-district outreach, and an alumni "Career Tech Works" success-story content series.

Commercially, PLCC is anchored by an employer-ecosystem strategy: advisory committees staffed by firms such as Timken, Ohio Gratings, and Klaben Ford shape curriculum; alumni-founded companies (notably ANR Electric, now 120 employees) provide placement pipelines; and structured programs such as the Timken Career Training Program and the 2014 RAMTEC-funded robotics expansion formalize employer-aligned training pathways. A 2025 Contracted Training service line extends this into B2B workforce training revenue beyond individual tuition, and the school continues to layer credentials (National Technical Honor Society inductions, free driver's education through Myers Driving School, OTC+ dual-credit) to deepen the value proposition for prospective students and partner districts.

Name

Portage Lakes Career Center

Legal name

Portage Lakes Career Center

Website

https://plcc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Portage Lakes Career Center is a public career and technical education school in Uniontown, Ohio, founded in 1977, serving high school students from four partner districts and adult learners through hands-on training in trades, healthcare, manufacturing, cosmetology, and culinary arts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Uniontown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Adult Education Tuition: Tuition revenue from adult education programs including practical nursing, dental assisting, phlebotomy, cosmetology, HVAC, welding, and automation/electronics. Programs offer financial aid and GED vouchers to eligible students.
2. State Funding for CTE: Public career center receives state funding to serve high school students from partner districts. Programs include academic instruction combined with technical training.
3. Salon Services Revenue: Student-operated cosmetology salons generate revenue through hair, nail, and esthetics services provided to the public at reduced rates. High school salon operates Thursdays 11:30am-2pm; Adult Education salon operates Tue-Thurs 9:30am-2pm with evening hours Wed-Thurs 5:30pm-8pm.
4. Culinary Restaurant Revenue: The Neon Lime restaurant operated by culinary arts students generates revenue from lunch service to the public on Wednesdays through Fridays from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm during the school year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Portage Lakes Career Center (PLCC) is a public career and technical education school delivering hands-on training in trades such as automotive, welding, HVAC, electrical, cosmetology, culinary, healthcare, and engineering. It serves high school students from four partner districts (Coventry, Green, Manchester, and Springfield) as well as adult learners, and operates student-run public businesses including PLCC Salons and The Neon Lime restaurant to provide real-world practical experience.

Product overview

Portage Lakes Career Center (PLCC) is a career and technical education school offering a unified portfolio of programs for both high school students and adult learners. The core offerings consist of High School CTE Programs and Adult Education Programs, which provide hands-on technical training across trades including automotive technology, welding, HVAC, electrical technology, cosmetology, culinary arts, healthcare (nursing, dental assisting, phlebotomy), and more. Supporting these educational programs are two student-operated service businesses: PLCC Salons (offering cosmetology services) and The Neon Lime restaurant (offering culinary dining experiences). Additionally, PLCC provides Driver's Education through a partnership with Myers Driving School. The institution operates from a campus in Uniontown, Ohio, and partners with four local high school districts to serve students from the greater Akron area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Neon Lime: A student-operated restaurant open to the public for lunch on Wednesdays-Fridays. Culinary arts students serve contemporary cuisine and gain real-world restaurant experience.
• PLCC Salons

Products and services

• High School CTE Programs
• Adult Education Programs
• PLCC Salons
• The Neon Lime Restaurant

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40% of senior class received placement assistance, with 20% employed in their chosen fields upon graduation through the Placement Office
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ohio Gratings, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio Gratings, Inc. has been actively involved in supporting the Engineering Processes program. Representatives Shaun Eller and Mike McKinney met with junior classes and have provided exceptional experiences including facility tours. OGI collaborated with Engineering Processes instructor Jessica Russell over the summer, enabling her to gain hands-on experience across departments and tailor curriculum to industry standards. OGI has also identified job opportunities for students.
• Klaben FordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal auto dealer and community partner Klaben Ford (Tom Alcorn, PLCC graduate) has supported PLCC's Automotive Technology program for years. He has served as guest speaker, advisory committee member, provided parts for training, and has employed many PLCC students. Klaben Ford loaned a 2015 Ford Fiesta for students to prepare for the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills contest.
• Timken CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTimken Company offers a Career Training Program for PLCC welding students, providing approximately 200 hours of hands-on training across five areas: Green Machining, Inspection, Heat Treat, Prototype Grind, and Metrology. Top performers may be selected for a four-year Technical Development Program upon graduation, becoming full-time Timken employees with 36 paid college credits toward a Mechanical Engineering Degree at Stark State College.
• Myers Driving SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLCC partnered with Myers Driving School to offer free driver's education to PLCC students. The partnership provides 12 two-hour online sessions with in-person monitoring and in-car driving instruction completed during the school day. Students earn 1 Industry Credential point toward graduation.
• Partner School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLCC serves students from four partner school districts: Coventry, Green, Manchester, and Springfield. Representatives meet with 10th graders each November to discuss CTE benefits, followed by Sophomore Visitation Days and Career Exploration Open Houses. Students attend PLCC for half of their school day.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/portagelakescc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsL05ilAijJtq8YXYw8i5sQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/portagelakescc
• Instagraminstagram.com/portagelakescc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portage-lakes-career-center

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portage Lakes Career Center