Why Andrew was nominated: “His hard work since then has driven him to become one of the most promising up-and-coming technicians that I have ever had the opportunity to work with. It is important to understand what makes up that promise for Andy: whether its consistently having one of the best attitudes across the dealership, his overall job performance, his educational accomplishments, his communication skills or, most importantly, what he does to help mentor and develop young men and women into becoming successful technicians in both the dealership and community. And while I think that his personal accomplishments are of serious significance, it’s the type of impact he makes as an individual in the dealership and in the technician community that make him an an absolute gift to work with each and every day.”

Erik Craddock started working for Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO) 19 years ago without technician experience, but he had the drive to become a great technician.

Why Erik was nominated: “All he had was the drive and the dream to one day master the role of a tech. After taking advantage of the training available to him over the years, he is now an ASE Automotive Master Certified technician with the L1 Advanced level certification. He is a die-hard stickler for making sure that every car that is repaired at his facility is done right the first time – even if he isn’t the tech who serviced the vehicle. This includes making sure that the customers’ vehicles are at least as clean as they were before being serviced! He always comes in early & will often stay late to make sure that all vehicles are done within the time promised to the customers.”

When Michael Cole isn’t working at Kunes County Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin, he still takes the time to help future techs by volunteering his time.

Why Michael was nominated: “Mike is incredibly smart and passionate about teaching. He works with future techs from the local tech college by letting them shadow him in the shop, volunteers with Boy Scouts as both a board member and teacher and often spends time teaching them how to weld. He also helps the technical college build circuit boards for training. Mike teaches leadership to his Scouts as well as in the shop. He believes we are all students in the process of self improvement. He is very knowledgeable and is always willing to help other techs in the shop. He is patient and kind when helping others and never talks down to anyone.”

Shane Conley teaches motorcycle and power equipment students for Suzuki Motors of America and has created his own YouTube training videos to help train techs.

Why Shane was nominated: “Shane has been teaching motorcycle and power equipment students for many years with an attention to detail and passion unmatched by anyone I know. His approach is unique and extremely effective – and he never leaves a student behind. His YouTube training videos have motivated me and helped me in many troubleshooting scenarios. He’s even taken time out of his personal schedule to chat with me on the phone as I diagnosed problems on my own ORV. I call him a friend and a great person with the desire to teach. He’s currently at Suzuki teaching the technicians. In what little spare time he has, he also runs his own repair facility, where his “How2Wrench” video studio is located. I feel he is a rare example of leadership and patience and fully deserves this award.”

Wayne Quiggins found a passion for motorcycles after looking through an old motorcycle magazine while he was deployed in Iraq. When he finished serving the US military, he immediately pursued a career in motorcycles by attending MMI. Today, Wayne worked for Southern Cycles in Apopka, Florida.

Why Wayne was nominated: “Wayne was one of my students in 2013 and showed himself to be an EXTREMELY driven and passionate young man who’s love for motorcycles and desire to spend his life working on them far exceeded a want. To him it was a need that you could see each and every time you interacted with him every day. Wayne put forth more effort than any other student I have had the privilege to train over the course of my 9 years of instructing. He is a veteran of our US military and NEVER lets anything defeat him! He does whatever was necessary to overcome obstacles – from long nights of studying to many many days spent after class tutoring with myself and other instructors. His determination and heart is inspirational, to put it lightly.”