Member Spotlight: Drivers of the Future

by Office Ours, Inc. | Aug 13, 2024August 22nd, 2024 | All, Tenant Spotlight

If you have noticed an increase in student driver bumper stickers or driving school signs on vehicles, you aren’t going crazy. A surge in privately owned driver education schools has been popping up throughout the Triangle. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public school system has a growing wait list of high school students who are old enough to take driver’s education, but there aren’t enough teachers. Savannah Gregory and her partner Fernando Castellanos noticed this problem and decided to take matters into their own hands.

Savannah and Fernando met as instructors at a different driver’s education school before deciding to move forward with their own school. Their first order of business was to get an office, and the second, get a more up to date curriculum approved to better meet the needs of their students. Students come to their class either in person or virtually, attend lectures, and complete hours behind the wheel. Drivers of the Future teaches students of all backgrounds, countries, and ages, most recently teaching a new driver who was 65 years old.

Savannah feels most passionate about helping not only the individual students but also their entire families. Being able to drive allows people to go to work, pick up their children from school, and be a part of a community.One of the most critical steps in starting a driver’s education school is getting approved by the DMV. The NC DMV requires all driver education schools to have an office, a classroom, or a conference room to teach classes and signage. Having an office has given them the flexibility to use the space for themselves, their students, and the students’ families. Savannah says, “Office Ours gave us the ability to have a personal office location and flexible options for our classroom instruction with the conference rooms.” They can easily book the different conference rooms depending on the class size. Their students have a long day when they come to Drivers of the Future, sometimes spending up to six hours in the class. It was essential to Savannah to have a clean, comfortable building and a place where they could quickly heat their food or take a break from class. Parents and family members can utilize the lobby area while waiting for their student to complete exams or classes.

Drivers of the Future is a minority and women owned company that has now been in business for ten months.They are excited to start offering automotive maintenance classes to teens and adults within the following year as well as utilize the latest in technology to improve the way drivers education is taught. With innovative new ways to teach students how to drive, the future is bright.