CHICAGO Fred Bunting, CEO of Auto-Wares in Grand Rapids, Mich., was presented with the 2011 Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award during last month’s 16th annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago.
The Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award is given annually to the person, institution or company that best represents the automotive aftermarket in the education arena and is named after GAAS founder Mort Schwartz, a strong advocate for both the aftermarket industry and industry education.
Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), presented the award to Auto-Wares President Barry Hill, who accepted the award on Bunting’s behalf (Bunting was unable to attend).
Schmatz said, “Fred was an obvious choice,” based on the extensive amount of education opportunities Auto-Wares provides its employees and customers through such initiatives as its annual Tech Expo education event, which draws roughly 5,000 participants each year. In addition, the company provides live clinics as well as web-driven education for its employees.