Clintonville Spotlight

Walker ready to kick trade center into gear



The location can be hard to find, yet it is a place where Luke Walker hopes to make it easy for young people to find their true calling.

His new trade center for auto mechanics is scheduled to open this month at 620 Oakland Park Ave., with a grand opening celebration in mid-October. Nestled between the railroad tracks and the back of the Olympic Tennis bubbles, the 12,000-square-foot space is a dream come true for the owner of Luke’s Auto.

In many ways, he sees this as a way to put his faith into action. His goal is to help young people identify whether they are interested and talented in automobile repair, and then provide them with the expert training to succeed in that field.

Luke Walker is excited about the opportunities that his new Trade Center will provide young people exploring auto mechanics. (Spotlight photo by Julie Schatz)

“The trades are viewed as a Plan B by society, and it shouldn’t be that way,” Walker said.

“Some people are brilliant with their hands.”

Walker understands the need for this opportunity all too well. After attending Calumet Christian and Dominion Middle schools in Clintonville, he started his career at Whetstone High School by struggling with academics.

Unsure if he would even progress enough to graduate, Walker was introduced to Columbus City Schools’ career centers and gravitated to auto repair.

His education continued in Columbus State Community College’s two-year auto tech program as well as real-world lessons through his job at nearby Clintonville Automotive Repair Service. Walker opened his own small shop on Byers Circle in 2009 and as the business grew, he began thinking about how he might give back to the community.

Walker started working with Central Ohio Youth for Christ and its auto repair shop, HireLevel Auto, on the West Side of Columbus.

He began to see a path where he could use his own talents and knowhow to nurture other young people who reminded him of himself.

“I had a dream of having a used car lot and a trade center at the same location,” he said, “and it couldn’t happen there.”

He shared his vision with leaders of his church – Xenos Christian Fellowship, which is now called Dwell – and they encouraged him to pursue it. Part of that encouragement was to offer use of the church’s large warehouse space on Oakland Park.

“This is more than just learning a trade,” Walker said.

“It includes character development and to help youth identify and cultivate being gifted with their hands. I want them to learn to see God’s love for them and develop a life of loving other people.”

Walker’s new site will build on the HireLevel approach of offering classroom seats to youth from low-income families. Initial classes will determine which participants have the aptitude and potential to move into the more intense upper-level course work which could lead to well-paying jobs and lifelong careers.

Young people will work alongside professional technicians, repairing donated vehicles and then selling them. Half of the profits will be used to support the program and the other half to fund YFC’s efforts to serve at-risk youth in the Columbus area.

The new Trade Center at 620 Oakland Park Ave. has 12,000 square feet of space for classroom and hands-on education. (Spotlight photo by Cliff Wiltshire)

“We want to help find their strengths, develop what they’re good at,” he said. “We’re trying to create lasting change.”

The program is seeking support from the community to help it succeed. Volunteers and financial donations are needed, as well as hand tools for students’ use.

For more information about how to contribute, visit the web site wheelstradecenter.com/ or send an email to luke@
lukesautoservice.com.

Walker continues to reside in Clintonville, where he said he’s always lived within about 1 square mile of where he was raised.

He’s married to Carrie and they have three children: Jude, 7, Titus, 5, and Maggie, 2.

He one day hopes to see this sort of trade center in every quadrant of the city, as young people not looking to attend college will need direction to discover their talents.

“This is a big deal to me,” Walker said. “It’s not just a foundation for our society but gets to a person’s innermost being.

“I love working with my hands and I want to find people like that and help them.”

 

One response to “Walker ready to kick trade center into gear”

  1. Bill Costello says:

    Thank you Luke. Man after my own heart. I am a bricklayer, now I teach, and I could not agree more that so many people need to find their talents at hands on skills.

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