Building Careers Without Debt: How Pohanka is Investing in Maryland’s Workforce

Maryland’s workforce challenges are often discussed in terms of job openings and training gaps. But the deeper issue is simpler — and harder: people need reasons to stay, work and build their lives here.

One Maryland business didn’t wait for that equation to fix itself.

At the Pohanka Automotive Training Center in Salisbury, Md. residents are learning a skilled trade, earning a paycheck and building long-term careers — without paying tuition, taking on student debt, or relying on a traditional college path.

That didn’t happen because a new program suddenly appeared or because funding magically fell into place. It happened because Pohanka chose to invest directly in people.

For more than 100 years, Pohanka Automotive Group has been part of Maryland’s business landscape. Today, the company employs more than 650 people statewide, including more than 300 in service roles alone. Like employers across the state and country, Pohanka felt the pressure of a growing shortage of skilled auto technicians — a challenge worsened by the pandemic, changing workforce dynamics and broader population trends.

Instead of treating that shortage as inevitable, Pohanka made a deliberate decision: build the workforce they needed from the ground up.

“We believe training is essential to long-term success,” says David White, Program Director of the Pohanka Automotive Training Center and a former educator with more than 30 years of experience. “If you want quality work, you have to build quality talent.”

That belief led Pohanka to create a fully in-house training model — one that remains rare (and acclaimed) — nationwide. Inside the training center, small cohorts of Maryland community members receive hands-on instruction in a real-world environment. Participants earn pay while they learn, receive college credits toward an Auto Business Management degree, and get support acquiring the tools they’ll need to succeed on the job.

Most importantly, the program is free to those enrolled — removing one of the biggest barriers to entering a skilled trade.

These participants aren’t “students” in the traditional sense. They are community members looking for opportunity, stability and a future they can build close to home. For people like Zayvian “Zay” Brown and Joshua Whayland, the training center offers more than technical skills — it offers mentorship, confidence, and a clear path forward. Many graduates go on to long-term careers with strong earning potential, including six-figure salaries, without the burden of student loan debt.

Programs like this don’t just fill jobs — they give people a reason to stay and build their future in Maryland.

For Pohanka’s leadership, the decision to invest in workforce training wasn’t just about filling open positions. Sandy Fitzgerald Angello, Dealer & Operator of Pohanka Automotive Group of Salisbury, sees it as a responsibility — and a reflection of how business should operate.

“When you invest in your workforce, you’re investing in the future of your community,” she says.

Pohanka’s model offers an important lesson for Maryland’s broader economic conversation. Workforce development doesn’t happen in isolation, and it doesn’t succeed when businesses willing to invest are left to navigate complex challenges alone. Employer-led solutions work — especially when the policy environment recognizes and supports those efforts.

As Maryland works to strengthen its economy and competitiveness, Pohanka’s story makes one thing clear: business-led investment in people is already making a difference.

Supporting workforce development driven by employers isn’t just good for business. It’s essential for people, communities and the state’s long-term future.