The music industry’s biggest names were honored at the GRAMMY Awards last month. Also applauded were the National Football League’s All Stars, who wrapped up their Pro Bowl festivities in recognition of their outstanding talent 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, award sponsors examine on-the-job excellence, community service and other factors when selecting honorees.
We at ImportCar would like to recognize the top award winners in the Automotive categories listed below for their expert service in the bays and in shops across the country.

The ASE top honors go to:

Manuel Rodriguez — Bridgestone Retail Operations/ASE Master Automobile 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 ­Driveability 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 music greats or professional athletes, shop owners who want to deliver top-notch repairs understand the importance of having exceptional, All Star technicians on their team – because, then, everyone’s a winner!