Cliff Hovis graduated from Grove City College in 1989 with a degree in Marketing. He met his wife Lynn (Johnson) Hovis ’89 while at Grove City College, and they have two children who are currently attending GCC.
Cliff J. Hovis, a 1989 graduate of Grove City College, knows that God, family, a good education, and a lot of hard work are the keys to success. He is president of the family owned business Hovis Auto & Truck Supply in Mercer, PA. Cliff is highly involved in not only his business but the automotive industry as a whole. He is on the AWDA (Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association) Education Committee, and a board member for the University of the Aftermarket Foundation. He has received the Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award, the Art Fisher Memorial Award, and the Federated Industry Advocacy Award. But his most recent accomplishment is his induction as chairman of the AWDA in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 1st. He also knows that training and education are important tools for his industry; he built a 10,000 square foot training facility to further educate his customers through hands on and classroom training.
With a smile on his face and his family by his side he arose from the audience, as the announcer declared Cliff chairman of the AWDA. His speech was titled “Exceeding the Curve through Hiring, Training, and Developing”, a topic he has been passionate about ever since his Grove City days. He is eager to share with his industry the lessons he learned from those times.
Cliff highlighted some statistics about the automotive industry; it is the third largest employer in North America, providing 4.3 million jobs and contributing more than 2.3% of the U.S. GDP. But in order for youth to be successful in the automotive industry, they need to be adequately educated and trained. Cliff has two children currently attending Grove City College, Clifford ’16 and Grace ’19. After talking with their friends he knew that his industry needed to create an established program for today’s college students seeking jobs after graduation.
As a member of the AWDA Education Committee he recently established a scholarship program for college students majoring in programs that have a direct application to the auto care industry. These scholarships help ease the financial burden of temporary relocation for students who pursue internships more than 100 miles from their permanent address. He ended his speech by inspiring and encouraging everyone in the room to mentor today’s youth, because they are the future of the automotive industry. Cliff is thankful for the time he spent at Grove City and he continues to share the legacy of the principles he has learned with everyone he meets.
