Bobby Price Addresses Lincoln Technical Institute Graduates

Bobby Price, owner of Price’s Collision Centers, was recently invited to address the February 2016 graduating class of Lincoln Technical College.

 

Bobby Price told the students that he’s been in the collision repair industry for over 44 years and there has been a great deal of change since he first started. According to Bobby Price, back in the 1960s, there were no frame racks, paint booths, MIG welders, high-quality fillers, or the wide variety of paint available today. Price recounted how, in earlier years, when a car was in an accident and had frame damage, it was considered a total loss.

 

To the graduates moving forward, Bobby Price assured there are now numerous opportunities in the collision repair industry that did not exist even a decade ago. Collision repair is no longer an hourly or low-paying job. Nationwide, Bobby Price explained, the average tech now earns a respectable $50k to $60k. He noted that Price’s Collision Centers employees earn above-average wages, around $74k annually. Paint techs, according to Bobby Price, are compensated at an average of $76k.

 

In his address, Bobby Price encouraged the young graduates by affirming they had made a great career decision. To these students, Bobby Price insisted the next step to further their career would be an apprenticeship under a journeyman or to enter a post-graduation training program at Price’s or other reputable shops nationwide. Demand, he said, remains very high as attrition takes its toll and impacts the lack of capable new people.

 

The industry, emphasized Bobby Price, remains lacking in available painters, professional detailers, and preppers. The shortage of qualified employees has become a nationwide problem and Bobby Price said these men and women could pursue their vocation across the country.

 

Affirming that further training and certifications are readily available and important to move forward, Bobby Price noted the many manufacturer specific programs. He later invited the graduates to Price’s and said he was happy to know a number of grads would be attending an open training session at his Mt. Juliet location the following week.

 

Price’s Collision Centers has ten locations throughout Tennessee and Kentucky. For more information or to find out about career opportunities, visit PricesCollision.com.