The Aftermarket Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), a community of the Auto Care Association, presented the 2022 Art Fisher Award for Excellence in Education, to the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The award was presented on October 30 by AWDA Vice-Chair Ashlee Arnold at AWDA’s 2022 Annual Conference in Las Vegas and accepted on behalf of ASE by Trish Serratore, senior vice president of Communications for ASE, and Brad Pellman.

AWDA’s Art Fisher Award for Excellence in Education is presented annually to an aftermarket company or individual that demonstrates outstanding commitment to education and training, either within their organization or throughout the industry. Given in memory of former AWDA Chairman Art Fisher, the award grants scholarships in the name of the award winner to two students enrolled in the automotive aftermarket management program at Northwood University.

Established in 1972 as a non-profit organization, ASE is a driving force in the transportation industry, AWDA noted. As an independent third party, ASE upholds and promotes high standards of service and repair through the assessment, certification, and credentialing of current and future industry professionals; and the prestigious ASE Blue Seal logo identifies professionals who possess the essential knowledge and skills to perform with excellence. Today, there are approximately 220,000 ASE Certified professionals at work in dealerships, independent shops, collision repair shops, auto parts stores, fleets, schools, and colleges throughout the country.

That blue seal of ASE Certification signifies that high-quality, technologically advanced professionals work on a shop’s staff, showing vehicle owners that they can have trust in the business. ASE Certified Technicians assure customers that the person behind that wrench has more than just basic knowledge about cars and is a master technician who has proven that they have skills and knowledge under the hood, or under the vehicle.  It exists as a stamp of approval that can help give consumers confidence that technicians have the proper education and skills to make repairs on a vehicle.

When the ASE seal is displayed outside of a service station, customers know their vehicle is in good hands and will be repaired with the best craftsmanship possible. And, that seal of approval is earned only by completing training and passing the tests required to earn it. Only two out of three pass the test on their first attempt, according to ASE, and in the interest of continuing education, they must retest every five years, as well as have at least two years on-the-job experience.

“Our entire group endorses ASE, as their name is synonymous with training and education,” said Bo Fisher, Fisher Auto Parts. “For decades, in every technician flyer we produce, we have shown pictures of two different employees who recently passed their ASE certification test. Given the outstanding efforts of the organization, we are proud to see their achievement of this honor and wish them all of the best over their next 50 years.”