Sherwin-Williams® Automotive Finishes And Larsen Motorsports (LMS) To Address Talent Shortage In Collision Repair With Scholarship Program

CLEVELAND, Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sherwin-Williams® Automotive Finishes has partnered with Larsen Motorsports (LMS) to establish a scholarship program that addresses the talent shortage facing the automotive industry, specifically collision repair. With the newly established Blazing Trails Scholarship Fund, Blazing Trails, a 501(c)3, will add a specific focus on automotive service and collision repair programs at the postsecondary level to its existing vocational and technical training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

"It's the hope that the Blazing Trails Scholarship Fund can give career-minded students the resources and necessary funding to pursue an education in automotive service and collision repair," says Justin Binns, President and General Manager of Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. "At the same time, we're focused on sustaining an industry that is currently challenged to attract skilled professionals."

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes and LMS will award a set number of students with one (1) year of tuition. The amount of the scholarship money awarded to each student will be dependent upon the institution's annual tuition fee. Students must have enrolled at one of the following participating trade schools or technical/community colleges:

• Baton Rouge Community College, Baton Rouge, LA
• Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI
• Oakland Community College, Bloomfield Hills, MI
• Ohio Technical College, Cleveland, OH
• Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS
• WyoTech, Laramie, WY

"Building a strong technical acumen among high school students enrolling in postsecondary programs is our entire mission at LMS and Blazing Trails," says Elaine Larsen, co-founder of LMS. Blazing Trail's mission is to assist children who have goals that they want to achieve, but are unable due to lack of money, time or guidance.

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes will support the scholarship fund at The SEMA Show this year, auctioning off more than 30 art panels as large as 9 ft. by 6 ft. airbrushed and pinstriped by some of the industry's biggest names. The silent auction has been named to honor former LMS and Matrix Automotive Finishes® Jet Car Driver Katrina "Kat" Moller (of Sarasota, FL).

Kat passed away in November last year at Florida's Sebring International Raceway while making an exhibition run in her LMS American Dream jet dragster. Kat was an International Baccalaureate student in high school who went on to receive her undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida and later attended graduate school at Florida Tech while forging her racing career with LMS. She was heavily involved in promoting Matrix– then the official sponsor of Larsen's all-female jet car team.

"It means so much to us that Sherwin-Williams is remembering Kat in such an amazing way," says Larsen. "Kat is loved and missed dearly. She represented so much to the jet car community and to motorsports. She was a huge promoter of education especially in automotive and would be in support of any scholarship fund designed to drive the industry forward."

All proceeds from the sale of artwork at the show will be used to award scholarships to deserving students for the 2020/21 school year.

Panels will be unveiled on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 8 AM EST here. The site will host a silent auction through Friday, November 8, 2019 at 5 PM EST.

For more information, visit the Blazing Trails Scholarship Fund.

About the Automotive Finishes Division of Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes manufactures and distributes a complete line of advanced technology paint and coating systems for automotive, aerospace and fleet refinishing industries. The Automotive Finishes division includes Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes® and Valspar® Automotive brands—Valspar® Refinish, DeBeer Refinish®, Prospray® Finishes, Matrix Automotive Finishes®, U.S. Chemical & Plastics® and House of Kolor®. Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes is a part of the Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group, which supplies a broad range of highly-engineered solutions in more than 120 countries around the world. Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the manufacture, development, distribution, and sale of paints, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. For more information about Sherwin-Williams, visit www.sherwin-williams.com.

About Larsen Motorsports

Palm Bay Florida-based Larsen Motorsports is a leading high-performance vehicles research and development company specializing in turbine powered drag racing vehicles. Among the primary focuses of the company is the development of the next generation of high-performance vehicles professionals. For additional information contact [email protected].   

About Blazing Trails

Palm Bay Florida-based Blazing Trails is focused on helping the next generation achieve their dreams. Our facility is in the Larsen Motorsports High Performance Vehicles facility. Our organization will sponsor and assist students who have goals they want to achieve but are unable to due to lack of money and/or guidance. Through our charity, we hope to impact students, inspiring the next generation of trail blazers. For additional information contact [email protected].

SOURCE Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes

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