Oct.4, 2019—The Collision Repair Education Foundation has announced the winning teams from its inaugural Top Tech Mentor/Mentee Competition.
The competition was held on Sept. 28 at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Mo. The goal of the competition was to recognize the performance of the next generation of collision repair technicians and their mentors on critical skills necessary to repair today’s high tech vehicles.
The first place team included Bradford Amison, mentee technician and Frank Allen, mentor, from Service King in Leander, Texas. Amison, who graduated from WyoTech in Laramie, Wyo., has been a mentee for two years. Allen has been mentoring young technicians for over 20 years..
The first-place team will receive $2,500 for each team member and the sponsoring business will receive a Chief PNP90 riveting tool valued at $8,000.
The second place team included John Gault, mentee technician, and Bryan Parnell, mentor, from Caliber Collision Centers in Mt. Moriah, Tenn. Gault, nicknamed Ritter, graduated from Mid Florida Tech and has been a mentee for almost a year. Parnell, who has been with Caliber for over six years, has been mentoring technicians for a year and a half.
The third place team included Ian Chambers, mentee technician, and Ralph Gonzales, from Service King in Dallas. Chambers is currently attending Collin College and has been a mentee for just under one year. Gonzales has been working with Service King for approximately 20 years and has been a mentor for the last four years.