With over 32 years of experience as a technician, Eric Taffs of Helena, Mont., is the 2016 recipient of the Motor Age Training/ASE Master Automobile + L1 Technician of the Year award. Taffs is currently employed at Placer Motors in Helena, where he has worked for eleven years.
Taffs’ first foray into automotive repair began, like many, when he was young — he spent his summer breaks from school at the auto shop where his dad worked, which also had a salvage yard. Before long, the shop kept him occupied with projects. “The owner would bring me a couple of junk cars and turn me loose to make one run out of the parts from two,” Taffs recalls.
He later enrolled in his high school’s automotive program but soon discovered that continual training would be a necessity to ensure a successful career in the automotive repair industry. Taffs explains, “When my dad opened his own shop in the 80s, cars were beginning to show up with more complex technology, and it became clear that on-the-job training by itself wasn’t enough to keep up. Faced with the frustration of not knowing enough, I chose to go to a manufacturer-specific school — GM Automotive Service Educational Program (ASEP) — and started working for their dealerships.”
Taffs’ dedication to training continued. In 2002 he was named the GM Medium/Heavy Truck ASE Technician of the Year and became GM World Class Certified in 2007. When GM discontinued Pontiac in 2009, Taffs began Subaru training and has recently achieved master technician status with Subaru. Taffs has also served as an Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) mentor.
While Taffs acknowledges the importance of certification, he stresses the need for continuous training. He explains, “Certification is one of the most important prerequisites to being viewed as a professional, but training for me is not about the certificate on the wall. Being a technician requires constant learning through formal training, experience and independent research and teaches one to be proficient in many disciplines, such as the sciences, communication, innovation and creativity. I remember when I took a scuba class, passed and then received a certificate, someone wise told me it didn’t make me a diver — it was just a license to go out and learn how to dive.”
Upon receiving the Motor Age Training/ASE Master Automobile + L1 Technician of the Year award, Taffs reflected on his career and the future of the industry. He expresses, “It is an honor to be chosen by Motor Age and ASE for this award. Meeting with ASE officials, company leaders and fellow technicians from around the country was an amazing experience. As I look at the auto repair industry, I see ever-increasing competition, consumer expectations and price pressures putting more demand on technicians. Receiving this award, along with the trip and first class treatment, moved my thoughts from the daily grind back to the big picture where I can take pride in my career.”
