World Class Wednesday: Elvin Vazquez: From Fixing Pharmacy Devices to Army Vehicles

Earning the title of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) World Class Technician is no small accomplishment. To be recognized as World Class, these individuals have obtained ASE certification in 22 specialty areas: A1-A8 (automotive), T1-T8 (medium/heavy truck), B2-B5 (collision repair), and L1-L2 (advanced).

Not only is achieving certification in these areas impressive, but becoming World Class is no small feat. As of 2025, only 2,000 technicians have achieved World Class status.

In this Q&A, Motor Age sat down with Elvin Vazquez — an ASE World Class Technician for the United States Army at Fort Lee, in Virginia — to learn more about his journey in the automotive industry and how gaining World Class status has helped advance his career.

 Motor Age: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your experience in the automotive industry.

Vazquez: I went to college for an Electronic Technician associate degree and ended up working for pharmaceutical companies, fixing pharmacy device equipment and different types of electronic panels.

After a while, pharmaceutical companies started closing in Puerto Rico and finding a job was hard. In 2014, I decided to join the United States Army as an army mechanic. I achieved World Class Status in 2025.

 Motor Age: What's the most memorable repair you've ever completed?

Vazquez: It was during my first deployment. In the army they train you to troubleshoot vehicles. Everybody thought the problem with the vehicle was electric, but I started looking at the vehicle and found the problem was mechanical.

This repair taught me a lot and gave me a lot of time to train with my mentors.

 Motor Age: Tell us one thing about you that we can't guess from your certifications.

Vazquez: I like to look for broken cars on Facebook Marketplace, fix them, and then sell them back.

 Motor Age: What automotive technology trend are you most excited about/most concerned about?

Vazquez: Just for me, because I'm in the army, and not in the not in the civilian shop - it's hard to find the schematic or the papers that you need for troubleshooting the vehicles, especially as they continue to advance.  

Motor Age: How has ASE certification helped advance your career?

Vazquez:  A lot of people will say, “certification doesn't mean anything.” I think those people are looking for excuses for themselves.

In my opinion, ASE Certification shows that you understand technology, and you understand what you're working on. It helps you because every time you go somewhere you have the certification to back up your knowledge.