The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) announced that Phong Xiong of Wausau, WI, and Casey Grinolds of Loma, CO, have been selected as recipients of the Michael Busch Memorial Scholarships for 2008. The winners were named during the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) in Chicago on May 19th.

The Michael Busch Memorial Scholarship fund was created in memory of the son of former collision shop owner and ASE Board member Jim Busch, who operated a business in Issaquah, WA, until his retirement. Michael was an automotive technology student who tragically lost his battle with cancer. Each recipient of the Michael Busch scholarship receives $1,000 to be used in funding their automotive education.

“We are pleased to support the future of the automotive service industry through the generous scholarship program established to honor the memory of Michael,” said Bill Kersten, NATEF president. “We congratulate this year’s winners and wish them the best in their careers.”

NATEF was founded in 1983 as an independent, non-profit organization with a single mission: To evaluate technician training programs against standards developed by the automotive industry and recommend qualifying programs for certification (accreditation) by ASE, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. The NATEF process has resulted in certified automotive training programs in all 50 states at the secondary and post-secondary levels. For more information about NATEF, visit www.natef.org.