Columbus State to name new Automotive Technology building Germain Hall

$2.7 million gift from Germain Automotive Partnership owners will help next generation of automotive technicians prepare for thriving careers

Campus News | Monday, October 19, 2026

In honor of a generous donation supporting Automotive Technology education, Columbus State Community College plans to name a new, purpose-built facility Germain Hall. 

The naming, which is pending Board of Trustees approval, follows a $2.7 million philanthropic investment from the owners of Germain Automotive Partnership, Rick and Libby Germain, that will help Columbus State educate the next generation of automotive technicians and service specialists in Central Ohio.

Columbus State expects to break ground in 2027 on Germain Hall, a 43,000-square-foot building that will feature high-bay spaces designed specifically for Automotive Technology education. Germain Hall is slated to welcome students in 2029.

Rick and Libby Germain’s philanthropic gift to the Columbus State Foundation will support state-of-the-art instructional equipment, faculty professional development and financial assistance for students who face financial barriers in purchasing their required professional toolkits.

“The automotive industry is transforming rapidly, and dealership service centers across Ohio urgently need technicians trained on complex high-voltage and connected vehicle systems,” said Rick Germain, owner of Germain Automotive Partnership. “Our dealerships have partnered with Columbus State for years because their graduates enter service bays exceptionally well prepared. Germain Hall represents a lasting investment in the students and technicians who will keep Central Ohio moving forward. We are proud to attach the Germain name to a modern facility that provides students with the tools, technology, and career paths they need to succeed.”

Columbus State President David T. Harrison said the Germain family’s gift will benefit the entire Central Ohio region.

“We are grateful to Rick and Libby Germain for their long-standing commitment to prepare Central Ohioans for great jobs in the automotive industry,” Harrison said. “Germain Hall will ensure our physical facilities match the high caliber of our students, our faculty, and our regional dealership partners.”

Germain Hall will serve as a new front door to Columbus State’s campus along East Spring Street at Jefferson Avenue. The site holds special historical significance: The parcel served as home to a Germain dealership before the college acquired the property in 2015.

The building will replace the program’s long-standing home in Brown Hall – where the college first launched automotive instruction 50 years ago, in 1976. Germain Hall will more than double hands-on instructional capacity to meet surging student enrollment and acute regional dealership technician demand.

Between the 2020-21 and 2025-26 academic years, total course enrollments in Columbus State’s Automotive Technology program increased by 64% (from 597 to 976). The program outgrew its historical instructional footprint through manufacturer-sponsored pipelines like Ford ASSET and the newly launched Honda PACT track. 

Unlike traditional service bays built with internal combustion engines solely in mind, Germain Hall’s bays are designed around the safety protocols, high-voltage equipment, and digital diagnostic infrastructure required for modern vehicles, including rapidly expanding electric and hybrid vehicle fleets. Designed by GPD Group, the two-story facility is custom-engineered to support modern and emerging mobility technologies:

• Integrated instructional laboratory: A shop-based learning environment featuring modern twin-post lifts, in-ground lifts, alignment racks, chassis dynamometers, and specialized twin-post EV battery lifts. The lab will feature purpose-built areas engineered for high-voltage battery safety training, hybrid diagnostics, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and complex vehicle network workflows.
• Flexible classrooms: Dedicated manufacturer classrooms bridging workplace dealership co-op experiences with technical instruction for programs like Ford ASSET and Honda PACT.
• Expanded component laboratories: Specialized teaching environments for precision powertrain, transmission, chassis, and sub-assembly rebuild instruction.
• Student-focused amenities: A two-story glass student entrance, welcoming lobbies, student study lounges, and direct access to adjacent campus parking and pedestrian pathways.

The $27.2 million building will be funded using bond proceeds approved by Franklin County voters in 2020, with the Germain philanthropic gift directly funding the advanced equipment, technology, and learning tools that will bring the instructional spaces to life.

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