We had the good fortune of connecting with Larry Witherspoon Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Larry, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was inspired to start the Automotive Training Center because I saw young men in my neighborhood going down the same path I was headed. In my early twenties, I got into legal trouble because I was making bad decisions. I was very close to going to prison for a significant period of time, but at the last minute my charges were dropped.

I was grateful to have a loving and supportive family that helped me come back from that stressful time in my life. However, I know that many people aren’t afforded the opportunities I was given. When they are faced with the same decisions they may not make a choice to leave that life behind because of their life circumstances.

I know that the average “at-risk” young person doesn’t have the resources and privileges I did. So, I wanted to find a way to provide mentorship and guidance to the young men I met when I moved to Atlanta. At the same time, I discovered that employment was a significant determining factor to improving the quality of life of at-risk youth. I combined my passion for cars and young people and the Automotive Training Center was born.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Automotive Training Center started initially as an idea. In 2012, I had just moved to an inner-city Atlanta neighborhood and was struck by how many young men I was meeting that had been to or were headed to prison. I was upset by this trend and wanted to do something to help these young men.
I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio in a middle class family and went to private school. I also grew up watching his father mentor young men at an inner-city high school and work part-time at a juvenile detention home. But even with being surrounded by positive influences I still ended up in legal trouble and narrowly missed going to prison as a young adult. I fell back on the experiences and support I had growing up and decided to make a change to live a positive life.

When I started to meet young men in Atlanta and started to understand their risk for incarceration I knew that most of them did not have the same support network I was afforded. How much harder would it be for them to overcome these circumstances without support? Nearly impossible was the answer.

So I combined my passion for these young men and women with my life-long love of cars and the Automotive Training Center was born at the end of 2014. I met Shawn McHargue, co-founder, shortly after and we decided to build the organization dedicated to training and finding employment for at-risk youth.

The Automotive Training Center has trained over 200 students since 2014. We have graduates working at independent repair and dealership locations all over Atlanta.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite places in the city of Atlanta is a neighborhood called East Atlanta Village (EAV). I have many friends who live in EAV or close to it. Also, EAV has a lively nightlife with many bars and restaurants that serve great food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My father – Larry Witherspoon Sr

Website: www.automotivetrainingcenter.org

Instagram: @autotrainingcenter

Facebook: autotrainingcenter

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