AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY CENTER AND KONA-KOHALA CHAMBER RECEIVE MAHALO AWARDS

Hawai'i Community College recently announced that the Automotive Supply Center and the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce are the recipients of the 2018 Mahalo Awards for their support of the college’s programs and students.

The Mahalo Awards were established in 1995 to recognize community‐based organizations, companies or associations for their support of the educational programs at Hawai‘i CC. The nominees may be civic organizations, clubs, professional associations, or companies in the community. Hawai‘i CC gives two Mahalo Awards annually, one to a West Hawaii-based organization that primarily supports the Hawai‘i CC – Pālamanui campus and another to an East Hawai‘i organization that primarily supports the Hawai‘i CC campus in Hilo.

Automotive Supply Center (ASC) plays a major role in Hawai‘i CC’s transportation programs, especially the Automotive Mechanics Technology (AMT) and Auto Body Repair and Painting (ABRP) programs.

ASC advises the programs, hire graduates, and ensure that students are seeing the latest products and training. The company also helped the ABRP program bring two celebrity automotive painters for the program’s first-ever car show in July 2017, providing an exciting and valuable opportunity for students to learn from two of the world’s best auto body painters.

The Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce has been a key supporter of the Hawai‘i CC – Pālamanui campus in Kona for many years, advocating on behalf of the campus within the West Hawai’i community, to elected representatives, and with the business community. The organization is an unabashed partner with us in leveraging education and training as a means to ensure the skill base needed for employment of local residents and the success of entrepreneurs. The chamber is also an invaluable resource in providing access to data and rationale to evolve and develop the program profile in both West Hawai'i and elsewhere on Hawai‘i Island.