Assurant awards $100K grant to MTSU during grand opening of Mt. Juliet device care center [+VIDEO]

MT. JULIET, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University representatives recently accepted a $100,000 grant from global device care company Assurant Inc. that will go toward a new laboratory in the university’s new Applied Engineering Building scheduled to open next fall.

Assurant Inc., a leading global business services company that supports, protects, and connects major consumer purchases, officially opened its new 259,000-square-foot Innovation and Device Care Centerlocated just outside Nashville in Mt. Juliet during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Thursday, Oct. 10.

To commemorate the opening of the new facility and Assurant’s continued commitment to the Nashville metro area community, the Assurant Foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 over two years to the Murfreesboro university.

Greg Van Patten, dean of Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences, thanks Assurant Inc. for its two-year $100,000 grant awarded to the university in support of its mechatronics engineering program and a new lab in the Applied Engineering Building set to open next fall on campus. Van Patten’s remarks came at Assurant’s Oct. 10 grand opening of its Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

The grant will support the construction of a new Assurant Engineering Innovation Lab inside the Applied Engineering Building and expand the company’s partnership with MTSU’s Mechatronics Engineering program, from where several Assurant employees are alumni. The grant aligns with Assurant’s commitment to strengthen communities with a focus on education for inspiring leaders of the future.

Dr. Greg Van Patten, professor, Chemistry; dean, CBAS — Dr. Greg Van Patten

“We are deeply grateful for Assurant’s generous donation and our strong, collaborative partnership,” said Greg Van Patten, dean of the MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences, in a company release. “This gift is a game-changer for our mechatronics engineering students, who will soon benefit from hands-on learning in the state-of-the-art Assurant Engineering Innovation Lab.

“This gift reflects Assurant’s confidence in the quality and caliber of MTSU’s Engineering Technology graduates,” continued Van Patten. “As we continue to educate an increasing number of students in STEM fields, we are proud to play a key role in supporting the growth of innovative Tennessee companies like Assurant.”

Van Patten said the gift will help outfit one of the key laboratories in the $74.8 million, 90,000-square-feet new Applied Engineering Building located on the east side of campus.

“This lab will have a significant impact in the education of our mechatronics engineering majors, and it will serve as a base for STEM outreach as well as a testbed for our students to train on industry standard robotic equipment, including robots aligned with Assurant’s current and future automation plans,” Van Patten added.

Representatives from Assurant Inc. present Greg Van Patten, far right, dean of Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Basic and Applied Sciences, with a ceremonial check representing the two-year $100,000 grant awarded to the university in support of its mechatronics engineering program and a new lab in the Applied Engineering Building set to open next fall on campus. Pictured at Assurant’s grand opening of its Mt. Juliet, Tenn., facility are, from left, Assurant representatives Keith Demmings, president and CEO; Biju Nair, executive vice president and president, Global Connected Living and International; Brandon Johnson, senior vice president, Global Supply Chain; and MTSU’s Van Patten. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

An artist rendering of the exterior for the new Middle Tennessee State University Applied Engineering Building, to be completed by summer or fall 2025. The nearly 90,000-square-foot facility will cost almost $75 million. (Submitted) — An artist rendering of the exterior for the new Middle Tennessee State University Applied Engineering Building, to be completed by fall 2025. The nearly 90,000-square-foot facility will cost almost $75 million. (Submitted)

“Over the past year, we have collaborated with Assurant to bring industry-inspired and industry-sponsored projects to our students. These projects resulted in some creative and clever solutions, and this is just the beginning. As we iterate through this process, both the projects and the student-generated solutions will get more and more sophisticated.

“Moreover, I sense there are additional opportunities for productive collaboration between Assurant and MTSU, including through our Data Science Institute and our College of Business. I look forward to seeing our relationship continue to bear fruit for Assurant and for the next generation of MTSU students.”

Joining Van Patten at the event representing MTSU were Ken Currie, chair of the Department of Engineering Technology, and Jared Bryson, development director for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

Here’s a brief video recap of the presentation:

Assurant enters ‘next phase of our growth’

Assurant’s Mt. Juliet facility is double the size of the previous location in La Vergne, Tenn., and will be a key hub for Assurant’s Device Lifecyle Solutions business, which in 2023 alone repurposed 22 million devices, the company said.

The new, state-of-the-art facility will also house the Company’s Automation and Engineering team, which develops new and innovative ways to leverage automation, robotics, AI, and machine learning to create greater value in the global supply chain and grow the secondary device market.

Assurant Inc. President and CEO Keith Demmings addresses the crowd during Assurant’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting held Oct. 10 at its Mt. Juliet, Tenn., facility. As part of the opening, the device care company awarded a $100,000 grant Middle Tennessee State University in support of its mechatronics engineering program and a new lab in the Applied Engineering Building set to open next fall on campus. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

Assurant Inc. President and CEO Keith Demmings, holding ceremonial scissors, is joined by Stuart McWhorter, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, left of Demmings, along with other Assurant executives and team members Oct. 10 as they prepare to cut the ribbon to officially open the device care company’s Mt. Juliet, Tenn., facility. The new location is double the size of the previous location in La Vergne, Tenn., and will be a key hub for Assurant’s Device Lifecyle Solutions business. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

“Our relocation to this facility is part of our global supply chain transformation, which is delivering greater value for our clients, a better experience for our employees, and growth opportunities for the company,” said Keith Demmings, Assurant president and CEO.

“Having been in the Nashville area since 2017, the relocation and expansion into this new facility allows us to maintain the diverse and incredibly talented team who will take us into the next phase of our growth, while enabling us to improve operational efficiency and scale.”

Stuart McWhorter, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, addresses the crowd during Assurant’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting held Oct. 10 at its Mt. Juliet, Tenn., facility. The new location is double the size of the previous location in La Vergne, Tenn., and will be a key hub for Assurant’s Device Lifecyle Solutions business. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

At the new Mt. Juliet facility, approximately 800 employees work to extend the life of devices and reduce e-waste by processing, testing, and refurbishing connected devices. Customers trading in their old devices not only enjoy the financial benefits of trade-in credits; they are also making a positive impact on the environment for every device that is reused in lieu of a new device manufactured.

Using estimates from Assurant Carbon IQ℠, a proprietary Assurant solution that provides insights on the carbon impact of individual connected devices, approximately 495,000 metric tons of carbon emissions were avoided from the nine million devices repurposed at Assurant’s previous facility in 2023 alone.

“While others may outsource, this new facility demonstrates our investments in innovative technologies and our people, allowing us to continuously improve our customer and employee experiences by owning every step in the process,” said Biju Nair, EVP and president, Global Connected Living and International. “These investments, along with our talented team, contribute to greater sustainability in the connected device ecosystem by efficiently supplying the global secondary device market.”

“Centrally located and in close proximity to our state’s capital, Mt. Juliet is primed to support Assurant and the opening of its new Innovation and Device Care Center,” said Stuart McWhorter, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

“Assurant will benefit from Nashville’s thriving tech talent pool and access to top-tier research institutions while also having the local support and resources needed for continued growth in Wilson County. I thank Assurant for its decision to stay in Tennessee, and we look forward to seeing the success that follows today’s grand opening.”

With significant room for growth, the new Device Care Center currently services virtually every mobile device brand and model for its broad range of clients. Assurant won the Frost & Sullivan 2024 Customer Value Leadership Award for U.S. Mobile Device Trade-in and Upgrade Excellence in Best Practices, a testament to the work done at the Device Care Center. Learn more at assurant.com.

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)