Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Automotive Group make gift of land to Central Piedmont for new training center
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Hendrick Automotive Group and local business leader Rick Hendrick have given Central Piedmont Community College approximately 23 acres of land adjacent to the college’s Levine Campus in Matthews. Central Piedmont will use the donated property to build a new first responder training facility.
The gift is the latest milestone in a long-time relationship between Central Piedmont, the Hendrick family, and Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group. The college opened the Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology in 2006 at the Levine Campus. Each year, the center, named for Joseph R. Hendrick Jr., father of Rick Hendrick, serves more than 3,000 students who aspire to be automotive technicians as well as employed technicians who seek updated skills. A gift from the Hendrick family allowed the college to construct the center.
“Institutions of higher education can flourish and make an enhanced impact only when they have corporate and community partners who are willing to collaborate and dream with them. Central Piedmont has such a partner in Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Automotive Group,” said Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer, Central Piedmont president. “This generous gift will allow the college to realize its vision of building a first responder training facility in southeast Mecklenburg County, where none currently exists. The college appreciates its long-running partnership with the Hendrick family and Hendrick Automotive Group.”
Plans for the first responder training center include law enforcement, fire and rescue, EMS, forensics, detention, and telecommunicator facilities. Outdoor training spaces will include a scenario training village and emergency driving range. Indoor facilities will provide a firing range and a fire and rescue area with specialized equipment for comprehensive training. The center will be constructed in phases, with the first phase opening in 2027, and phase two opening in 2028.
“Central Piedmont is a cornerstone of the Charlotte community and our broader region,” said Hendrick, the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group. “Over many years, we’ve been humbled by our relationship with the school, and we’re delighted to support the continued growth of its exceptional Levine Campus. When we broke ground on the Joe Hendrick Center back in 2005, I could not have predicted how substantial its impact would be. With the knowledge that Central Piedmont will use this land to develop a world-class training facility for our first responders, today’s announcement is especially meaningful. My family and our teammates at Hendrick Automotive Group are truly honored to be involved.”
In addition to its law enforcement, fire and rescue, EMS and forensics programs, Central Piedmont offers an associate degree program in Public Safety Administration. The two-year program provides students multiple tracks to tailor their experience toward their desired career or current field of expertise.
The college has designed the Public Safety Administration curriculum to provide students, as well as practitioners, with knowledge and skills in the technical, managerial and administrative areas necessary for entrance or advancement within various public safety and government organizations. Students completing the program can pursue careers within fire and police departments, emergency management organizations, governmental agencies, industrial firms, correctional facilities, private industries, insurance organizations, educational organizations, security and protective organizations, and through self-employment opportunities.
See the Central Piedmont website for more information about the college’s first responder and public safety administration programs.
*Editor’s Note: To support our branding initiatives, please refer to the college as:
First reference: Central Piedmont Community College
Second reference: Central Piedmont
The college no longer uses the “CPCC” acronym.
About Central Piedmont
Central Piedmont Community College is highly accessible and convenient to people of all ages who seek a real-world, affordable, hands-on education that will transform their lives and strengthen the economic, social, and cultural environment of Mecklenburg County. Central Piedmont is also a smart investment. At a fraction of the cost, students learn by doing, receiving a combination of technical and soft skills training from quality faculty who prepare them to enter the workforce and make a difference in their family, business, community, and world. Founded in 1963, Central Piedmont Community College has eight locations throughout Mecklenburg County, offering nearly 300 degree, diploma, and certification programs; customized corporate training; market-focused continuing education; and special interest classes. For more information, visit cpcc.edu, or connect with the college on social media at https://www.cpcc.edu/social.
About Hendrick Automotive Group
Representing 131 franchises and 25 manufacturer nameplates from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 10,000 people in its 94 dealership locations, 21 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit www.HendrickCars.com.