Specialized
motorcycle school drops its kickstand at Destination Daytona
Corinthian College’s
American Motorcycle Institute, now known as WyoTech Daytona, has
purchased 27.5 acres that will become a hightech
training facility.
Florida Motorcycle School
paid $3.2 million for the site at Destination Daytona, the Bruce
Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson complex, a popular new
gathering place for motorcycle enthusiasts.
One of only two motorcycle
schools in the country that offers specialized
motorcycle training, the enrollment is expected to climb when
WyoTech Daytona commences operations at the new campus.
“We are pleased to be
establishing our new campus at Destination Daytona, which quickly
has become the focal point of the motorcycle industry in the United
States,” said Neil Hayes, educational director for
WyoTech Daytona.
Hayes said that curricula
will include training on BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda,
Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles. WyoTech, which has served
the region since 1974, has become the area’s largest private
technical training center serving the motorcycle industry.
WyoTech also has campuses in
Blairsville, Pennsylvania; Bedford, Massachusetts; Fremont,
California; Laramie, Wyoming; Oakland, California, and West
Sacramento, California The American Motorcycle Institute was
established in 1972. It will be moving to its new complex from its
campus in Daytona Beach near Daytona International Speedway.
That site encompasses
approximately 50,000 square feet of laboratory, classroom and
administrative facilities on approximately 10.2 acres.
In 2004, WyoTech Daytona was
purchased by Corinthian Colleges, Inc.
Corinthian is one of the largest postsecondary education companies
in North America. It has 95 schools in 26 states in the United
States and 32 schools in Canada. The company’s mission is to prepare
students for careers in demand and advancement in their field.
Corinthian offers diploma programs and associate’s, bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in a variety of fields including healthcare,
transportation technology and maintenance, criminal justice,
business, information technologies and the construction trades.
“The decision by Corinthian
College to make a substantial investment in our community is another
indication of the preeminence of the region as a center for motor
sports industries,” said Mike Vollmar of Charles Wayne Properties
Inc., one of the brokers for the transaction. “There is a tremendous
synergy between the school and Destination Daytona.”
Growth in this sector of motorsports harmonizes with the Volusia
County Five-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan because it
creates capital investment, research, jobs, international trade and
collaboration among businesses.
