TechForce has announced five category winners for their 2023 Techs Rock Awards and opened up public voting for the grand prize.
These awards were created by TechForce in an effort to honor professional technicians who are full of passion, grit, and who exhibit true excellence and inspire the next generation of technicians.
Category winners were selected from hundreds of nominated technicians by celebrity judges including Bogi Lateiner of Bogi's Garage, Harrison Burton of Wood Borthers Racing, Emily Reeves of Flying Sparks Garage, Pete Meier of Dorman Products, and Camri Caruso of Camrie Caruso Motorsports.
This year's honorees will be awarded more than $18,500 in prizes:
- Each of the five winners will receive prizes valued over $1,900 from TechForce partners Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Cengage Learning, CRC Industries, Ford Motor Company, Nissan, Snap-On Industrial, and WD-40 Company.
- In addition to the category prizes, the grand prize winner, chosen by popular vote, will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to STX 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, courtesy of Advance Auto Parts. Additional prizes are valued at $6,000 from AutoZone, CRC Industries, Ford Motor Company, Nissan, Snap-On Industrial, and WD-40 Company.
Each Category Winner represents a distinct category. These winners are:
- Barrier Buster: Riley Schlick-Trask, Riley's Rebuilds. The Barrier Buster category recognizes technicians for showing heart and passion in overcoming obstacles to succeed.
- Die Hard: Bryan Kuehni, Advantage Chevrolet Bolingbrook. The Die Hard category recognizes industry superfans who live, breathe, sleep and thrive in their career.
- Outstanding Mentor: James Jacobsen, Lake Motor Company. The Outstanding Mentor category recognizes technicians for providing support and guidance to the industry's future techs.
- Pay it Forward: Bradley Hindman, Mission Auto Repair. The Pay it Forward category recognizes technicians for being a community advocate and inspiring the next generation of techs.
- Rookie of the Year: Jinelee Galindez, Mercedes Benz of South Orlando. The Rookie of the Year category recognizes up-and-coming tech professionals with under two years’ professional experience.
The Techs Rock Awards are part of TechForce’s workforce development campaign to inspire and support tomorrow’s workforce of technicians.
