Shop is actively working with its paint vendor to help gift a sun gun to Fort Myers Technical College
Fort Myers, Fla.—Maaco Fort Myers has launched a partnership with local technical college, Fort Myers Technical College, to help support future auto body repair professionals.
The owner of Maaco Fort Myers, Justin DePasquale, and his business partner, Richard Leatherwood, have been actively working to find causes important in Fort Myers, so they can give back to the community they serve.
“We’ve recently been able to enhance our efforts of giving back to our community by partnering with the Fort Myers Technical College,” said DePasquale. “As vehicles advance with innovation, so does the technology required to repair them. It’s important to show students the right way to repair and we’re happy to support however we can.”
Plastic welding continues to rise in prevalence throughout the auto body repair industry, but the welding tool can be hard to come by as budget cuts continue to plague vocational schools. Additionally, it is hard for teachers to train students if they don’t have the necessary tools on hand.
“A plastic welder is a common tool that the students will need to use when they start working in the shop because it helps fix bumpers, which is a repair we see a lot of,” said DePasquale. “We were happy to lend the school a plastic welder and we also had an employee go visit the college to train the students on how to use it. Everyone was ecstatic when the team came by, it was great to see how much this small gesture meant to the students.”
Jeff Slack, a teacher at the technical college, has played an integral part in helping connect DePasquale and the school.
“He is one of the most determined teachers I have met. He wants to see each and every one of his students succeed, and when I got in touch with him to see how we could help, he was ecstatic,” said DePasquale. “Now, I can’t wait to continue to help Jeff and his students.”
DePasquale is actively working with his paint vendor to help gift a sun gun to the school, while also remaining in contact with Jeff to see how else he and his team can help. “It took us a little while to help find a way to give back to our community, but now that we have, I would tell other owners to be persistent in finding an organization to support, as every little bit helps,” said DePasquale.
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