A gathering of nearly 250 people attended ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the new automotive careers training center (ACTC) at Central Community College-Hastings on Sept. 22.
The $23 million, 42,000-square-foot facility houses CCC's auto body technology and automotive technology programs. The ACTC features five classrooms, a welding lab, a parts and tools suite, and oils and liquid storage.
Gov. Jim Pillen addressed the attendees and extolled the role that CCC plays in Nebraska higher education landscape. Before his remarks, it was mentioned that in a recent survey 91 percent of CCC graduates stay in the college’s service area and nearly 100 percent stay in Nebraska. Pillen praised those graduates for staying in staying in Nebraska.
“If you can get a skill set and make things with your hands, you make millions,” said Pillen. “I am a gigantic supporter of the trade skills in our community colleges. I could not be more proud of what our community colleges [do] for workforce development in creating extraordinary careers.”
Jesus Gomez, a second-year student in CCC’s automotive technology program, opened his comments by saying he developed a love for cars at a young age, whether they were on screen or in real life. Since then, he said his passion for working on cars and helping people has grown.
“This program has taught me many things so far and I can confidently say the skills I have learned will be taken into my professional career,” said Gomez, who also thanked the many people who donated time, effort and resources to the ACTC’s construction. “From the people who made the plans to the people who physically built it, (and) to the donors, this wouldn’t have been possible without the direct support from the community. I hope that we in class make everyone confident in their decision to have invested in us.”
Traci Skalberg, executive director of the Central Community College Foundation, continued the theme of investment from a community standpoint. She said in April 2023, a brainstorming session was held that included CCC’s industry leaders, architects and college administrators. The discussion centered around what the facility would need and how it would meet the needs of the automotive industry in five, 10 and 20 years. From there, the conversation included input from multiple entities and stakeholders leading up to the creation of blueprints and ultimately, the completed project.
“We broke ground in May of 2025 and now, this building is finished and ready to welcome students,” Skalberg said. “That doesn’t happen because of one donor, one organization or one person. It takes a village and it takes community investment.”
One of the people who played a major role in the conversations from the beginning is Brian Levander, president of Levander Automotive and a member of the campaign executive leadership team. During his remarks, he said the value of this investment will ultimately be determined by those students and what they do with the opportunities afforded to them by the automotive careers training center.
“They will be technicians, the managers, the business owners, instructors and industry leaders of the future,” said Levander. “And if we’ve done our job right, some of them will eventually come back and help the next generation. That’s how an industry grows. That’s how a community grows. One generation helps the next.”
The ACTC is also called the Gosper Building, and like most of the buildings on the Hastings Campus, it is named for one of the counties in CCC’s 25-county service area. During the ceremony, members of the Gosper County Board of Commissioners presented a plaque to CCC-Hastings President Dr. Chris Waddle. The plaque contains a picture of John J. Gosper, the county’s namesake. Waddle said the plaque will be displayed prominently in the ACTC’s reception area. Before Gomez cut the ribbon, CCC President Dr. Matt Gotschall closed the speaking portion of the ceremony by recounting how the college came to be and recognized the auto body and automotive technology students and their instructors. He also mentioned special guests in the audience and thanked the taxpayers throughout CCC’s service area for the funding that helps CCC remain operational.
