State Farm, Georgia Northwestern team up on auto repair: Insurance giant donates car to state college
State Farm Insurance donated a 2007 Chevrolet Impala to Georgia Northwest Technical College (GNTC) on July 19. “Turning bad times into good times is sort of what we both do in insurance and automotive technology. It’s a great thing,” said GNTC automotive technology director Troy Peco. Georgia Northwestern, the state’s fourth-largest technical college, is part of the Technical College System of Georgia that helps train local residents for local careers. “It’s like the college says. It’s your town, your college and your future. We just wanted to invest in it,” said State Farm insurance agent Ronnie Holden. The donation of a hail-damaged car was part of a process between local agents Holden and Mike Herndon and State Farm’s claims department. “Mr. Peco came to us a few months back asking about the possibility of something like this happening. It just felt like the right thing to try to do,” Holden said. “They are training our people for careers. Plus, it’s always good to find a quality auto mechanic. Well, Georgia Northwestern is where they start.” The vehicle was one that State Farm had totalled due to the weather damage it sustained. “That’s not a problem for this kind of donation, though,” Peco said. “Mechanically, the car is in good shape. Plus, being a 2007, it has the technology with which the students need experience. Most of our students will be looking for jobs here at home. That means they could end up working on your car. This is actually more of an investment in the community.” The Automotive Technology program at Georgia Northwestern offers degrees, diploma and certification programs throughout the year. Georgia Northwestern offers more than 200 programs on five campuses, as well as online. More than 10,000 students are educated by the region’s largest college each year. Georgia Northwestern is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. For more information about this donation or the automotive program, contact Georgia Northwestern at 706764-3813 or email dfoley@gntc.edu.