DENSO Foundation Gives More Than $1 Million In Grants To 24 Colleges And Universities

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DENSO Foundation Gives More Than $1 Million In Grants To 24 Colleges And Universities

Funds support advancing education in skilled trades, active safety and robotics programs, student vehicle teams, learning labs and more.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:
Photo by Mark Phillips
Photo by Mark Phillips

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Text books can only take you so far. But complement a student’s textbook knowledge with hands-on problem solving, troubleshooting, teamwork and technical work – now you have an engineer or technical expert ready to develop, improve and build technologies that will help our society.

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That’s what the DENSO North America Foundation believes. On Monday, June 20, 2016, the DENSO North America Foundation (DNAF) awarded more than $1 million to 24 colleges and universities across North America. Funds support advancing education in skilled trades, active safety and robotics programs, student vehicle teams, learning labs and more.

“The best learning experiences are when things don’t work how you expected them to work, or how the text book explained,” said Doug Patton, president of the DENSO North America Foundation and executive vice president of Engineering at DENSO International America, Inc. “That’s why we want students to get their hands on technology. They need to get their hands dirty and figure out how things work, how to fix, test, and develop technology, how to innovate and think creatively.”

DNAF is the philanthropic arm of global auto parts supplier DENSO’s North American headquarters, DENSO International America, Inc. Since 2001, the DNAF has been dedicated to advancing the auto industry through grants to colleges and universities. The Foundation provides students with technology, tools and experiences similar to that of the professional workplace they’ll experience after graduation.

“The Foundation not only focuses on engineering programs, but also skilled trades and robots as these are becoming increasingly important in the automotive and technology industries,” said Mike Brackett, member of the DNAF Board of Directors and senior vice president at DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee. “Many students have an incorrect image of what manufacturing is today. It’s very high tech, interesting and exciting! Through hands-on programs, students can find out if they excel in these much needed areas. These may be the same people who loved to tinker with cars, or take things apart and put them back together; however, until they obtain hands-on experience with robotics or skilled trades, they probably don’t know how they can translate these passions into a career.”

In addition to the Foundation’s efforts, DENSO also supports students one-on-one with its expertise through mentorship, connecting students with DENSO experts to give them a better idea of what being an engineer or technical professional means. DENSO supports programs around the country and the world such as FIRST Robotics, Project Lead the Way and Society of Automotive Engineering Collegiate Design Series as a part of this mentoring effort. DENSO also has an extensive co-op student program where students are given a high level of responsibility and gain real-world experience.

Congratulations to the 2016 DNAF Grant Recipients

Arkansas Northeasteran College

Arkansas State University

California State University – Long Beach

Cleveland State Community College

Conestoga College

Kellogg Community College

Kettering University

Lawrence Technological University

Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University

North Carolina State

Northwestern University

Oakland University

Ohio State University

Pellissippi State Technical College

Tennessee College of Applied Technology

Tennessee Tech University

Trine University

University of Detroit Mercy

University of Kentucky

University of Michigan – Dearborn

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Western Michigan University

About the DENSO North America Foundation
A registered 501(c)3 corporate foundation, The DENSO North America Foundation is dedicated to helping students advance their education in engineering, technology and other related programs. Founded in 2001, the Foundation provides grants to colleges and universities throughout North America, helping our communities prosper through the development of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. The Foundation also provides disaster relief grants through the American Red Cross to aid persons and communities in which DENSO Corporation operates. For more information, visit http://densofoundation.org.

 

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Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
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This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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