Perot Foundation contributed $3 million seed funding for high-quality service provider that rebuilds more than cars
DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On the Road Garage, part of On the Road Companies, a family of non-profits and businesses building prosperity for America’s workers, has opened its first location (1500 North Loop 12) in Irving to provide high-quality collision and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) repair as well as technology-forward apprenticeships and online training. The garage is part of an economic mobility and workforce development initiative that addresses transportation challenges and underemployment among vulnerable populations including the formerly incarcerated, victims of domestic violence and other marginalized workers. The Perot Foundation contributed $3 million in seed funding for On the Road Garage, which is rebuilding more than cars.
On the Road Garage is a woman-owned business that employs highly experienced master collision technicians, estimators and painters to deliver fast, competitively priced collision repair services and ADAS repair for individuals and insurance companies. Former Service King Collision Repair CEO Cathy Bonner has joined On the Road Garage as Chief Strategy Officer, bringing proven expertise for service delivery and expansion.
The existing talent pool is aging out of the collision and smart car repair industry, and the pipeline of new talent is depleted due to a focus on four-year college and disinvestment in trades. On the Road Garage is now taking applications for year-long paid apprenticeships starting in September. Apprentices will learn the most up-to-date skills and knowledge in STEM-oriented, high-demand fields. The program covers body repair, painting, estimation, office management, electrical testing procedures, front-end alignments, tire and wheel service, pre- and post-vehicle scans and ADAS calibrations.
In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, On the Road Garage’s online training course launched in July offering certification in ADAS technology. The course upgrades the skills of collision and mechanical technicians who may be furloughed due to COVID-19 with the most advanced driver assistance technology curriculum available today. Applications for both programs are online. A second location will open in Dallas later this fall.
“When you choose to have your car repaired at On the Road Garage, you are supporting a social enterprise that is giving hard-to-employ individuals an opportunity for wealth-building in an essential business,” said Founder and CEO Michelle Corson. “We’re proud to be opening the garage during this unprecedented pandemic to create jobs with high-earning potential when they’re needed most. We’re building the workforce of the future in smart car technology through our apprenticeships and online education.
“We’re grateful to the Perot Foundation and especially Margot Perot for having the vision to help us establish this exciting social enterprise. We expect our apprentices to be placed in jobs prior to completion of the program or to launch their own businesses, with the potential of earning a six-figure income without a four-year degree.”
On the Road Companies is a family of businesses building prosperity for America’s workers. We began in 2011 when CEO Michelle Corson founded Champion Impact Capital to make investments in social enterprises. She saw a way to help working families thrive through better transportation and created On the Road Sustainability Funds to attract investors who understood that better cars lead to better jobs and better lives. Investors were willing to take a small return on their invested capital to provide a social, financial and environmental return to others. On the Road Lending formed in 2013 to help people find affordable, reliable cars and to teach them how to make good financial decisions. Through our loan funds, individuals get low-cost loans on cars based on who they are as people—not their credit scores. On the Road Motors, a Texas motor vehicle dealer, sources cars for our clients directly at auction, providing a low-cost option for working families. On the Road Garage launched in 2020 as a unique tech-focused collision repair business and training program to fill a skills gap and talent pipeline shortage.
Contacts
Debby Hanson, dhanson@ontheroadlending.org
