
ZF Aftermarket said it was honored to participate in The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)’s Awards Banquet on Nov. 14 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the company announced the winner of the ZF/ASE Aftermarket Master Automobile Technician of the Year award. This year’s winner was Mark Verdi of Tampa, Florida.
“With the continuously growing automotive industry, technicians need to educate themselves and those they work with on the up-and-coming technology,” said Dirk Fuchs, ZF Aftermarket, technical training manager.
“These master technicians not only have to educate themselves but also translate the new technology to their customers while providing quality maintenance and repairs – they are the true leaders of our industry!”

Outstanding Technical Skills
As the lead technician at Dakota Truck Sales and Service in Tampa, Florida, Verdi has worked in the automotive industry for the past 37 years. Throughout his career, he has received many accolades in the automotive industry, including becoming a certified Nissan technician, becoming a Chrysler Master technician and being selected as one of the top 25 Chrysler Master technicians in the Phoenix zone in 1994.
“This is a field that challenges you every day. It’s very rewarding to find and fix tough problems and get vehicles back on the road,” said Verdi. “ASE helps show our level of commitment to being the best at what we do.”
As the winner, Verdi was awarded with a $1,000 cash prize, and airfare and hotel accommodations to receive his award and join the other Master Technicians at the annual meeting.
Celebrating the Technicians
ZF Aftermarket said it is proud to collaborate with ASE in celebrating local technicians across the country.
“At ZF Aftermarket, we understand how difficult it can be to keep up with the evolving technology of the automotive industry,” said Fuchs. “Through our technical training activities, we strive to provide a variety of accessible opportunities for local technicians to learn about the latest technology.”
To qualify for the ZF/ASE Aftermarket Master Technicians of the Year, the winner had to be ASE Auto Certified and have taken one or more tests in the automotive test series in an administration in the preceding 12 months and must have the highest average passing score on the A2, A4, A5 and A6 tests taken in the past five years.
ZF Aftermarket is proud to support ASE and its training initiatives in the market. ZF Aftermarket Technical Training is CASE-certified with ASE, allowing the company to offer ASE-certified classes through the technical training curriculum.
For more information on ZF Aftermarket Technical Training, visit aftermarket.zf.com/us/trainings.