Ozarks Technical Community College will name its diesel technician training center expansion after Murphy-Hoffman Company (MHC), a lead supporter of the capital project. The expansion, which will add four new truck bays and classrooms with learning labs, is expected to increase the college’s Diesel Technology enrollment capacity by 45 percent.
“Partnering with an organization that complements our history and mission to train and employ the industry’s best technicians makes perfect sense,” said MHC President Tim Spurgeon. “Our partnership with OTC allows us to invest in future technicians and provide them with great places to work.”
The MHC Diesel Technician Training Center is scheduled to open to students in the fall of 2019.
In the fall of 2016, OTC received a $1 million grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Grant funds covered half of the $2 million project to expand the college’s Diesel Technology training facility. As a result, MHC leaders stepped forward to support expansion with a financial investment that earned the company naming rights to the new center.
MHC leadership notes that its contribution to OTC’s diesel technician training center will not only provide their company with skilled technicians, but also positively impact the region’s economy.
“The trucking industry has grown immensely since MHC was founded, and it is a large component of the local economy. Offering state-of-the-art technical education at OTC will keep well-trained employees in the area and the economy healthy,” said MHC CEO Mike Murphy.
MHC was founded in Springfield and is now headquartered in the Kansas City area with multiple Kenworth dealerships and leasing locations across 16 states.
