OTC receives six-figure donation from Rick’s Automotive

Rick's Automotive issued a six-figure donation for Ozarks Technical Community College's Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

The gift will create the Rick’s Automotive Student Lounge inside the $40 million center, according to a news release. The specific donation sum was undisclosed.

“OTC has been a great asset to the Ozarks, and the Plaster Manufacturing Center is going to elevate the economic opportunities in the region,” said Rick Hughlett, co-founder of Rick's Automotive, in the release. “I’m excited about the training students will receive in the PMC, and I’m confident that a skilled workforce will attract new industries to the Ozarks.”

Hughlett attended the precursor to OTC, the Graff Vocational-Technical School, which was absorbed into the college when it was established in 1990. He's also served on the OTC Foundation Board of Directors, and he formed the advisory board for the college’s transportation department.

"It says a lot about Rick that the PMC isn’t training automotive technicians, but he has the vision to see the positive impact the facility will have on our community," OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon said in the release.

Scheduled to open in August 2022, the 120,000-square-foot PMC will provide training in specialties such as drafting and design, manufacturing technology, mechatronics and cybersecurity.

American National, The Durham Co., Emerson, the Robert W. Plaster Foundation, the Gene Haas Foundation, and Larry and Donna Snyder are other significant contributors to the PMC, according to the release.