NY Auto Dealers Open $25M Education & Training Center in NYC

Over 400 Legislators, Auto Executives, Dealers and Educators Attend Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 -- Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and over twenty legislators headed by NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver along with Congressman Gary Ackerman and dozens of automotive executives, area dealers and educators helped celebrate the grand opening of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association's (GNYADA) brand-new Center for Automotive Education & Training in Whitestone, Queens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Special messages were given by New York State Senator Chuck Schumer, BMW (US) chairman & CEO Tom Purves, GM North America VP Brent Dewar, Automotive News publisher Keith Crain, and J.D. Power and Associates founder David Power III, among others in a video presentation.

The $25 million project, a first-of-its-kind to be built on this scale by an automobile association, will help curb the shortage of highly trained personnel in all areas of the business. In the service department alone, the automotive industry is facing an annual national shortage of over 30,000 trained automotive technicians, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"The Center is tremendously important for New York on many fronts," said GNYADA chairman Bob Fusco. It will help prepare thousands of individuals for rewarding, high-paying jobs in the automotive service and sales industry. In addition, the Center alone will create 100 new jobs for the area, and it is estimated that the new facility will generate more than $8 million in tax revenue over the next 20 years."

GNYADA's Center for Automotive Education & Training will serve as a training ground for individuals preparing for careers in the industry as well as a continuing education resource for dealership and automaker personnel.

The 90,000 square foot energy-efficient educational complex features training areas outfitted with long-distance and satellite capabilities for interactive learning and global broadcasts, state-of-the-art service training areas, classrooms with the latest digital teaching systems, lecture halls, a 108-seat auditorium and a 5,000 square ft. all-glass atrium, perfect for special displays and sales training in a simulated showroom.

"Our aim with the building's design was to update the notion of what an automotive education facility should be. Through the innovative use of technology, contemporary materials and well-appointed details, we have created a professional environment that will enhance the learning experience for those that attend the Center," said GNYADA president Mark Schienberg.

Schienberg, who sees the project as a clear demonstration of how committed the auto industry is to maintaining a skilled and professional workforce, believes that education and training is vital to the future success of the industry.

"Thankfully the auto retailers that make up this Association had the vision and foresight to anticipate the changing needs of the industry and embrace this project," continued Schienberg. "This facility will ensure that employees in our sales, service, and administrative divisions have the technical and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in today's dealerships."

Lincoln Technical Institute (LTI), a national leader in automotive education for more than 50 years, will serve as the Association's education partner, providing entry level technician training. LTI's technician training program will occupy 50,000 square-feet and can train up to 800 students each year.

"This new facility is an excellent example of how a school-to-work transition initiative should be orchestrated," said Larry Brown, President and Chief Operating Officer of Lincoln Educational Services. "This training center is specifically designed to meet the needs of the automobile industry in Greater New York by providing training in the areas of auto service that are most highly in-demand and will lead to career opportunities in this field."

Toyota has signed a long-term lease agreement to become a full-time user of the building and will be providing continuing education for Toyota and Scion dealership employees. The automaker will also place students in internship programs and draw from a pool of trained technicians to staff its dealerships.

"Toyota is pleased to be part of this precedent-setting arrangement with the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association," says Jim Press, President of Toyota Motor Sales, USA. "This state of the art training facility is a great example of how Toyota and the dealers of the Greater New York area are combining forces to advance the capabilities of dealership associates who sell and service today's advanced technology vehicles."

In addition to Lincoln Technical Institute and Toyota who have formally committed to leasing space, GNYADA is talking with many other organizations including Northwood University, BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Reynolds & Reynolds.

The facility will also accommodate GNYADA's own broad range of education and training programs and courses, which currently consists of nearly 100 seminars and workshops held each year for local dealership personnel. The center will offer 30 different classifications for job training in areas such as service, management, sales, billing and bookkeeping. GNYADA's Center for Automotive Education & Training is located four miles from LaGuardia and eight miles from John F. Kennedy airports in the College Point Corporate Park, an area managed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, a not-for-profit organization represents 650 franchised automobile dealerships in the metro area of New York, which sell more than 700,000 cars each year. Its members generate over $1 billion for state and local governments and employ approximately 52,000 individuals (directly and indirectly) in metro New York.