I recently attended the yearly ASE recognition dinner, held in Florida this year. Top test scoring technicians and counterpersons were honored from all around the nation.
Babcox Media sponsors a winner every year in the collision category and this year the winner was from Ankeny, Iowa. Darin Morrison has been in the body business since he was 18. He started in the trade at a new vehicle dealer body shop and then migrated to an independent. It was then he decided to buy his own shop and he purchased Fischer Auto Body. Darin’s score on four different components ranked him the highest in the nation for this year. It is an outstanding achievement and one that is only given out by us once a year.
It takes lots of experience and studying to achieve certification at this level. We are fortunate in this industry to have training opportunities from the Auto Care Association, AASA and ASA.
These organizations provide a very wide variety of training possibilities and keep the industry up on all the latest in trends and technologies. ASE is then there to certify everyone on a fair and unbiased playing field. It is a huge undertaking and requires much thought and commitment to quality. If you have not studied or taken the ASE P2 certification for counterpersons, I strongly suggest it.
It makes you more qualified to serve your customers. Whenever I travel, I am reminded of the hectic pace with which our industry is moving. Nothing remains the same. It is good to know that there are counterpersons and technicians out there committed to keeping up with the pace. So, take the plunge and get certified, if you haven’t already. And, Happy New Year to all of you.
