By Ed Sunkin
The National Basketball Association has its All Stars gather for games and skills contests in February, showcasing various talents on the court. And, the National Football League’s All Stars recently wrapped up their Pro Bowl festivities in January in recognition for their play on the field.
But let’s hear it for the automotive service and repair industry that also has its own group of All Stars. These Top Techs were honored in November during the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence’s (ASE) board meeting held at the Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans.
The annual awards banquet spotlights top “scorers” on the ASE certification tests. In addition to looking for top scores, award sponsors examine on-the-job excellence, community service and other factors when selecting honorees.
According to ASE, 27 different companies from both the OEM and Aftermarket segments sponsored the individual technician recognition awards in the Auto, Truck and Collision categories.
We at Underhood Service would like to recognize the top award winners in the Automotive categories listed below for their service in the bays and in the shops.
The ASE honors go to:
Manuel Rodriguez — Bridgestone Retail Operations/ASE Master Auto-mobile Technician of the Year, Firestone Complete Auto Care, E. Chicago, IN;
Rollin Hansen — TECH-NET Professional/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Auto Tech & Body, Roselle, IL;
Harlan Wawrzyniak — Cengage Learning/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Harlan’s Auto Repair, Silver Lake, MN;
Timothy Johnson — Chrysler/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Mills Ford Jeep Willmar, Willmar, MN;
Scot Manna — Gates/ASE Master Automobile & L1 Technician of the Year, MB Automotive, Inc., Des Plaines, IL;
Bryon Vamos — GM/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Delehanty Pontiac, Flushing, MI;
Louis Gede — Honda/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Route 23 Honda, Pompton Plaines, NJ;
Carl Cornelius — Acura/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, David McDavid Acura, Plano, TX;
Raymond Reichert — Identifix/ASE Aftermarket Drivability Technician of the Year, Eichelberger Service, Inc., Shickley, NE;
Daryl Emholtz — Midas International/ASE Automobile Technician of the Year Midas, Maple Grove, MN;
Rick Ballard — Mitchell 1/ASE Technician of the Future, Cache Valley Advantage Automotive, Logan, UT;
Rory Perrodin — NATEF/ASE Instructor of the Year, MCC – Longview, Lee’s Summit, MO;
Michael Godson — Motor Age Training/ASE Master Automobile & L1 Technician of the Year, Clark College, Vancouver, WA;
Gary Willett — Nissan/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Desert Nissan, Las Vegas;
David Martin — Infiniti/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year Brewbaker Motors, Montgomery, AL;
Thomas Piippo — Snap-on/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year Tri-County Motors, Rudyard, MI;
Toby Costa — Subaru/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Maita Hyundai Subaru, Sacramento, CA;
Edward LaFontaine — Toyota/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Galaxy Toyota, Eatontown, NJ;
Bryan Ledbetter — Lexus/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Lexus of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK; and
Paul Van Doren — Volvo/ASE Master Automobile Technician of the Year, Volvo Spokane, Spokane, WA.
While these service personnel may not be household names like professional athletes, customers who frequent automotive shops understand the importance of having an All Star technician on “their team.”
Congratulations to these and all the professional technicians and shop owners out there who keep the motoring public moving in the game of life.
