Federated member Hovis Auto & Truck Supply celebrated the grand opening of its Hovis Technical Training Center with an open house March 23-24 at the facility in Mercer, Pa. The open house featured a business management course entitled “More Profits and More Cash for My Automotive Repair Business,” conducted by Mike Allen, vice president, Federated Auto Parts.
Manufacturer representatives and training partners from key suppliers were in attendance to speak with Hovis customers about new products and upcoming training to be held at the center. The event brought in more than 200 customers to tour the 10,000-square-foot hands-on training facility where guests were treated to a BBQ lunch, door prizes, giveaways and a special appearance by “The Chief,” Hovis Auto Wrecking’s 80-ton rotator wrecker.
Since opening in November 2011, the training center has trained more than 550 customers. “We are excited to see our training center grow so quickly and to be a part of bringing the newest technology and techniques in the automotive repair, coatings and heavy-duty industries to our customers and employees,” says Curt Hovis, vice president of Hovis Auto & Truck Supply.
The training center is dedicated to instructing with the most advanced tools and equipment to help with time-saving and problem-solving techniques. The center boasts a fully-equipped body shop with mixing rooms, prep deck, oversized paint booth and a 14-foot overhead door for heavy-duty truck access, as well as four-post and two-post lifts, wireless alignment machine, tire changer, balancer and diagnostic labs.
“The Hovis Technical Training Center is committed to educating professional technicians in a state-of-the-art facility, close to home, reducing shop downtime and travel expenses,” says Hovis. “We recognize the critical need to provide technicians with comprehensive instruction, technical materials and educational programs, and we understand they don’t want to travel across the country to get it. That is why we are bringing leaders in the industry to western Pennsylvania.”
