CVCC announces partnership with Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac

Catawba Valley Community College announces a new partnership with Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac that will benefit both the college’s automotive programs and the dealership’s employment.

03/01/2021

Everette Chevrolet

Catawba Valley Community College announces a new partnership with Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac that will benefit both the college’s automotive programs and the dealership’s employment.

This partnership, which includes signage inside the Workforce Solutions Complex and on two of the automotive bays of the 80,400 square foot facility, will also include an investment into CVCC’s Automotive Systems Technology program.

“The support of Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac for our automotive programs is a critical step in the right direction for maintaining excellence and relevance of our workforce valued credentials,” said CVCC President Dr. Garrett Hinshaw. “This partnership will allow us to enhance the quality of the talent pipeline that we can produce for the automotive dealers in this region. It is the support of businesses like Everett Chevrolet that allows us to continue our commitment to excellence for our community even during the most difficult of times.”

David Everett, owner of Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac, believes these types of partnerships that involve the community are what his organization has been about since its inception in 1957.

“We’re just really proud to be a part of it and that CVCC would invite us,” Everett said. “CVCC has a really proficient and well run automotive operation here. I think it’s a good partnership for both us and the community. It helps the students, the businesses and the communities. It’s a really big sense of pride for us. We’re happy to be a part of it. I hope we can be a part of it for as long as CVCC has a program.”

CVCC Foundation chair David Sain, who played a key role in securing the partnership between CVCC and Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac, is excited about the potential for both sides to benefit from this affiliation.

“I was delighted to put together the first car dealership sponsorship for our program here at the Workforce Solutions Complex with Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac,” Sain said. “They’ve been doing great things for us. They provide us with automobiles to work on that, if they aren’t brand new, are six or eight months old. They’ve hired several of our mechanics. We have a great partnership that is going very well. I am delighted we have that relationship with the Everett family.”

Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac, which is located at 161 Highway 70 SE in Hickory, will also be providing new parts and general support of all areas of training as well as the potential for future automotive curriculum at CVCC.

“We are so excited with everything that is going on here at CVCC’s Workforce Solutions Complex,” said Dave Everett, vice president of Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac. “We want to do everything we can to help the community, including the businesses and people in the community. We just think this is a great fit for CVCC and for us. We’re really excited and are privileged to be a part of it.”

Ed Jenkins, service director at Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac, said this new partnership has benefitted the dealership by employing knowledgeable CVCC graduates.

“In today’s times in the automotive field, technicians are much sought after,” Jenkins said. “The good ones already have a place or home. We now have an opportunity to hire a trained technician and have a place for one. In this situation, it will help us grow a technician instead of starting from scratch with no skill set or automotive training.”

Assistant service director Jon Annas agrees with Jenkins.

“The partnership with CVCC has helped us greatly in finding people,” Annas said. “It’s helped us in two ways. It’s filled the need for the staff that we currently have. It’s also helped us connect with people and help push them forward in their career path and be able to provide for their families and good services for the community.”

Future sponsorship opportunities of the remaining automotive bays at Catawba Valley Community College’s Workforce Solutions Complex are currently available. 

For more information on these and other sponsorship opportunities through CVCC, please contact Terri Livingston at tlivingston652@cvcc.edu.

Photo caption: From left, David Everett, owner of Everett Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac; Dave Everett, Vice President; Jon Annas, assistant service director; Ed Jenkins, service director; David Sain, CVCC Foundation chairman; Gary Muller, Dean, CVCC School of Workforce Development and the Arts; Bryan Blackwelder, automotive instructor; and Shawn Mull, department head, Automotive Systems Technology.

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