A Tennessee dealer is giving back to the school system that educated his sons by donating the building that housed his first store for use as a technical training center.
Mitch Walters, president of Friendship Automotive in Bristol, Tenn., said he had been working to figure out the best use for the building since Friendship Ford moved to a new location two years ago.
“The decision to donate the facility was a family decision,” Walters told the Bristol Herald Courier.
“We all collaborated on it. It was a pretty easy decision.”
Walters grew up in Ohio, but his two sons graduated from Tennessee High School, which will use the building for an off-site, work-based learning program called the Viking Academy. The program includes courses in automotive, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and agricultural fields.
“This building is where we started our family business,” said Walters’ son Dustin. “This place is really special.”
Mitch Walters said the building, where Friendship Ford opened in 1993, is his family’s largest donation to date.