Last July , I shared the news about ATRA moving to san Antonio, Texas. Actually, and more specifically, China Grove. Never heard of it? Sure you have. It’s the title of a 1973 Doobie Brothers song. As a teenager back then, I had no idea they were singing about a real place. Now, almost 50 years later, it’s kind of cool revisiting that old song and thinking about the new ATRA.
As this edition of Gears magazine hits the streets, we’re getting to some of the demolition work we’ve been so anxious to start. The building has a lot to offer. It’ll have space on the ground floor for most of the in-house ATRA activities and a ballroom upstairs for events, such as seminars and other training classes.
As we roll out the ATRA University Project, we’ll have space for training shop teachers and other trainers in the industry, and sharing the tech information we’ll develop under the ATRA roof. They’ll use that information for local training back at their schools and training institutions across the country and Canada.
We’ve all heard that things are bigger in Texas. The new ATRA facility has plenty of room for future growth. In fact, we already have plans for an expanded Tech Center adjacent to the main building. It’ll be a while before we break ground on that, but the wheels are already in motion.
And while this is a big project and will take some doing to accomplish, it’ll be more cost-effective than ATRA’s current location in Oxnard, California, making ATRA member funds stretch even farther. Two of our ATRA team have already moved to the area. We’ll continue with the move, with plans to have the main operations in the China Grove office by late May or early June.
As we look forward to our new location in China Grove it’s important to remember ATRA’s roots and what we’ve learned over the years. ATRA will take a more regional approach in helping the industry through schools, ATRA chapters, and small businesses (both shop and supplier). The last two years have kept us away from the industry on a personal basis. This made it easy to lose touch with the challenges people have, just staying in business.
I recently connected with three long-time industry leaders, John Parmenter, a long-time friend and one of the most popular speakers at Powertrain Expo, Art Landeck, owner of Consumer Transmission in Poughkeepsie, NY, and founder of the Trans Logic Rebuilder Group, and Gino Bozzi, the owner of Slauson Transmission Parts in Chicago, Illinois. They all had some thoughts about last year’s Expo and changes in the industry. I took a bit of a beating, but in the end, I think we all learned something. I appreciated their honest opinions.
It reminded me of the importance of getting out in the field, and It got me thinking, too, “Isn’t this how ATRA started in the first place, back in 1954? People helping people by sharing new ideas. See you in Texas!
