Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) announced Darin Stalker, vehicle service technician, as the 2019 BSRO ASE Master L1 Technician of the Year. Stalker was recently honored at the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) annual awards banquet in Phoenix, Arizona, alongside other outstanding technicians from across the industry.

“We’re pleased to recognize Darin as the 2019 ASE Master Technician of the Year,” said Joe Venezia, president, BSRO. “Attaining this level of knowledge and skill takes a great deal of time, hard work, sacrifice and a commitment to lifelong learning. We are extremely proud of Darin’s many contributions to our organization as we work to deliver our mission of being the most trusted provider of tire and automotive care in every neighborhood we serve.”

Stalker, who works at the Firestone Complete Auto Care store in Springfield, Missouri, was nominated by his leaders and selected for the top honor among 5,000 ASE-certified technicians in the BSRO organization. He joined BSRO in 1997 as a general service technician with no formal automotive service training. For the past 22 years, he has advanced through the technician levels and currently holds nine ASE certifications. Stalker also serves as a mentor for less experienced technicians throughout the greater Springfield area, having led many ASE test preparation classes for BSRO.

ASE Technician of the Year honorees are submitted by their employers based on rigorous criteria including ASE test scores, on-the-job performance and community activities. ASE certified technicians are skilled at handling challenging mechanical service and maintenance. Achieving ASE Technician of the Year recognition is one of the highest honors a technician in the vehicle service industry can receive.

A subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, BSRO is one of the world’s largest company-owned networks of tire and automotive service centers with more than 2,200 store locations across the U.S. BSRO includes the Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works store brands.