RECOGNITION
Individuals Shine Brighter than Las Vegas Lights

ASRW Awards Luncheon recognizes scholarship recipients, honorees, industry leaders.

By Angie Wilson, AutoInc. Correspondent

Ron Pyle (right) presents Jeff Bly with the ASA Chairman's Club Award. (Photo: Jeff Loy)

Held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the luncheon and awards ceremony was emceed by Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff executive. George Witt, AAM, chairman of the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) board of trustees, announced the recipients of the various AMI scholarships. Industry professionals representing the mechanical and collision segments of the industry were honored at the event.

“Recognizing a job well done is an extremely important aspect of association life. We can’t possibly recognize everyone. But an awards ceremony such as this one honors the future, what’s going on today, and honors the past as well,” said Pyle.

Awards presented included:

• ABRN Top Shop of the Year – David Fait, CEO, and Mark Turner, president, Auto Body World, Tolleson, Ariz.

• ASA Chairman’s Club Award – Jeff Bly, Maywood Transmission Inc., Independence, Mo.

• AVI Education Scholarship Recipients (3) – Paul Burgard, Wittneben Auto Service, Sheboygan, Wis.; John Bydlon, AAM, Auto Electric, Robbinsdale, Minn.; and Daniel Levin, Pellman’s Automotive, Boulder, Colo.

• BodyShop Business Executive of the Year – Lee Amardio Jr., owner, Faith Quality Autobody, Murrieta, Calif.

• Emil Stanley Merit Award – Terri Neely, Nagy’s Body & Frame Inc., Doylestown, Ohio.

• Motor Age Top Shop of the Year – Barb and Vernie Menke, owners, Menke’s, Newburgh, Ind.

• Richard Cossette/Gale Westerlund Memorial Scholarship – Scott Schaefer, Schaefer Autobody, St. Louis.

• Russ Verona Memorial IBIS Scholarship – Jerry Burns, AAM, Automotive Impressions Inc., Rio Rancho, N.M.

• SkillsUSA Collision Repair Winners (Secondary Division) – Student: Eric Goncalves; Instructor: Serasin Cabral; School: Greater New Bedford RVTHS, New Bedford, Mass.

• SkillsUSA Collision Repair Winners (Post-Secondary Division) – Student: Allan Zimney; Instructor: Bruce Graffunder; School: Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, Minn.

• Tom B. Babcox BodyShop Business Magazine Collision Repair Scholarship – John Fugate, AAM, Lehman’s Garage Inc., Savage, Minn.

• Tom B. Babcox Memorial Scholarship – Chris Pfefferle, Pfefferle Tire and Auto Service, Fairfield, Ohio.

• Women’s Industry Network (WIN) NACE Awards – Kayla Toncik, Nazareth, Pa., and Jennifer Lynn Nix, Columbia, S.C.

• Zurich “High Octane” Scholarship – Bill Langton, Primary Auto Care Inc., State College, Pa.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients and thank you to the presenters of these various awards.