Technician of the Year to be Named Tonight

Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper’s Technician of the Year finalists flew into Detroit July 15 for a four-day trip of ASE testing and fun, culminating in the naming of the winner at the celebratory closing banquet tonight.

"I'd like to congratulate all of this year's Technician of the Year finalists,” said Ryan Backowski, director of marketing at Auto-Wares Group of companies. “It takes a substantial amount of training, commitment, and perseverance to reach the top as a technician. Their hard work has earned them recognition, but also leads to more efficient and effective repair and maintenance work for vehicle owners. I hope all of the finalists have a great time at this year's event and I wish them luck in being crowned the 2019 Technician of the Year."

The finalists began the week with a welcome dinner Monday at the Dearborn Inn. Larry Friesner of DRiV, which hosted the event, joined Alliance Vice President of Marketing JC Washbish in kicking off the opening reception. Tuesday they spent 90 minutes working through a 100-question ASE test, which will ultimately determine the winner. After that, the group explored 300 years of history at Greenfield Village, had lunch at the village’s Eagle Tavern, and discovered the past, present, and future of American automotive manufacturing at the Ford Rouge Factory. They then had dinner and games at Punch Bowl Social.

Today, finalists will enjoy thrill rides and racing at the M1 Concourse. This evening, the technicians will head back to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation for a tour, dinner, and a reception to name and celebrate the Technician of the Year champion.

In addition to a $2,500 cash prize, the winner will also be sent to the ASE Technician of the Year Award Ceremony in Phoenix where he will be honored as Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper’s top tech this November.  

The 13 finalists were selected by their Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper warehouse distributors based on their impressive technical training and current automotive knowledge. In order to be eligible, each was required to fulfill several prerequisites, including 10 channel partner trainings, six hours of live training, current ASE certification, and Certified Service Center status.

This training program is supported by the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance and is also available to members in Canada and Mexico. The Auto Value Technician of the Year for Canada and Mexico will also be in attendance in Detroit this summer with the U.S. Technician of the Year finalists. 

For more information, visit http://autovalue.com/technician-of-the-year and http://bumpertobumper.com/technician-of-the-year.

Here are the finalists: