Maple Ridge News Staff
Samuel Robertson Technical students have a shiny new tool at their disposal thanks to a generous donation from Lordco Auto Parts and the Ed Coates Foundation.
Candace Gottschalk, vice president of human resources with Lordco, said the metal lathe was gifted by the foundation to support local automotive and trades education.
“This was a great way to help support the community,” she said. “We want to help fund them and help make a difference in the education system.”
Gottschalk’s father, Ed Coates, opened his first Lordco location in Maple Ridge in 1974. When Coates passed away in 2014, the family launched the foundation in his name, with the goal of promoting educational opportunities in the automotive industry.
“The automotive industry is overlooked a lot, especially when it comes to new machinery, equipment, and tools,” she said. “It costs a lot of money and some of these programs are in dire need of new tools and equipment.”
This is not the first time Lordco and the Ed Coates Foundation have donated equipment to Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District 42.