Ulster BOCES Auto Collision Technology students learned about cutting-edge industry techniques and products used by today’s repair technicians on Wednesday, February 26, when the owner of Kingston Auto Supply/NAPA Auto Parts and his team of industry experts visited the Career & Technical Center and shared best practices in grinding, sanding, body fillers, and buffing. Business owner Todd Coutant and his team of representatives provided demonstrations that featured various products including a variety of surface cleaners, pads, rolls, and sanding discs.

According to Coutant, who graduated from the Ulster BOCES Aviation program, revisiting the Career & Technical Center and sharing his knowledge with the next generation of workers made for a memorable day. Coutant comes from a family of Ulster BOCES graduates, including his father, who graduated from what was then called the auto specialist program, and his sister Gina who graduated from the child care program. “It all comes full circle,” he says, adding that his father was also the supervisor of the Town of Esopus and was a key player in the relocation of Ulster BOCES from the City of Kingston to its current site on Route 9W in Port Ewen.

Bringing career experts from the business and industry into the classroom to speak with students is a common theme in the education students receive from the various fields of study available at the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center.