ASE techs honored at annual meeting

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Nov. 25, 2014) — The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) honored 47 ASE-certified automotive professionals recently as the top service technicians at 38 companies, including 13 at tire and automotive service dealerships.

Those honored are among the top scorers nationwide on ASE tests, the institute said, and are selected by the award sponsors based on those scores plus on-the-job excellence, community service and other factors.

The award winners represent a cross-section of the auto, truck, collision, parts and educational segments of the industry. Six of the 13 in the tire and auto service shop category were from TBC Corp. retail units, including the Big O Tires, Midas International and SpeeDee Oil Change franchise groups.

“The enthusiasm and professionalism displayed by all of our award winners is a testament to the high quality individuals wearing the ASE Blue Seal,” said ASE President and CEO Tim Zilke, “and we are proud to have them as part of the ASE family.”

The winners were recognized on Nov. 19 at the ASE's Fall Board of Governors meeting held in Fort Lauderdale.

Among those recognized was Jamie Bullis, only the second working female technician to be honored in more than 30 years, the ASE said. She is a master auto technician employed at  Bridgestone Retail Operations' Firestone Complete Auto Care location in Minnetonka, Minn.

Others recognized as their employers' top automobile technicians include:

• Bobby Soward, Belden's Automotive & Tires — Pronto Smart Choice award winner;
• Ron Knuckles, Big O Tires, Louisville, Ky.;
• Dave Wilson, Merchant's Tire & Auto Centers, Baltimore;
• Keith Young, Meyer's Automotive Service, Festus, Mo. — Bosch Automotive Solutions;
• Shane Schultz, Midas International, Freemont, Ind.;
• Jason Gruber, National Tire & Battery (NTB), St. Peters, Mo.;
• Ed Kiekover, OK Tire Stores, Zeeland, Mich. — Identifix “drivability” technician of the year;
• Vu Nguyen, Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack, Murrieta, Calif.;
• John Zeiss, Ray & Dana's Inman Auto Care, Fords, N.J. — RepairPal;
• Brad Greer, SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-up, Oakdale, Calif.;
• James Foulk, Tire Kingdom, Edgewater, Fla.; and
• Gerry Wolfe, Wolfe's Auto Service, Lititz, Pa. — Snap-on Inc.

The ASE said it has been recognizing top technicians for more than 40 years, often with sponsor support.

“We couldn't do this without the support of our many award sponsors, whose ranks include some of the best-known names in the industry,” Mr. Zilke said. “Their commitment to excellence is reflected in the talented individuals receiving these awards each year.”

Randy Nussler, an instructor at Midlands Technical College in Chapin, S.C., was named the “Gates Tools for Schools” ASE instructor of the year.

Fifteen of the winners work at car dealerships and five at truck dealerships, the ASE said. One student, Joe Grenchick at Southern Illinois University, was honored, as was Master Sergeant Robert Forbes of the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Ramstein Airbase in Germany. The remainder work at a variety of auto and/or truck repair facilities.

The ASE was established in 1972 as a non-profit to help improve the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians and parts specialists. Today, there are more than 300,000 ASE-certified professionals at work in dealerships, independent shops, collision repair shops, auto parts stores, fleets, schools and colleges throughout the country.

More information about the ASE is available on its website.