Each year at its annual conference, CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts recognizes the top CARSTAR owners and business groups throughout its network for their leadership and performance.

In the categories for top system award winners, Dean Fisher, chief operations officer for CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts, presented four awards to CARSTAR stores for their achievements. The winners included:

Franchisee of the Year

Earning the top honor as Franchisee of the Year was CARSTAR 76 Collision in Grand Rapids, Mich., which is owned by Mark VandenHout. Franchisee of the Year is the highest award given in the CARSTAR system, and it represents the best of the best that is CARSTAR. CARSTAR 76 Collision was chosen on criteria such as using all vendors possible, attending the annual conference, being image compliant, submitting reports on time online, and delivering consistently high CSI for the month and quarterly periods.

Rookie of the Year

The Rookie of the Year award was given to CARSTAR Fred Beans, which operates five CARSTAR locations in the greater Philadelphia area. This award is given in recognition to a new CARSTAR franchisee as it gets “up and running” with CARSTAR. To qualify for the award, a franchisee must have been with CARSTAR for less than three years, be well underway toward achieving Tier 1 compliance and enthusiastically embrace the CARSTAR culture with active participation.

Business Group of the Year

The award for Business Group of the Year went to the CARSTAR Omaha/Lincoln Business Group, which represents four stores throughout the region. CARSTAR offers business groups throughout the country to provide storeowners opportunities to share best practices, address local issues and conduct market-wide advertising and branding programs.

Next Generation Award

The Next Generation Award honors a second- or third-generation CARSTAR owner who is excelling at leading a family business. The 2016 Next Generation Award was presented to Chuck and Kyle Eilers, who run CARSTAR Charlie’s Columbia in Columbia, Ill., and CARSTAR Charlie’s Cahokia in Cahokia, Ill.

Marketer of the Year – Individual

The Marketer of the Year award was presented to Margaret Keith for her excellent work marketing the four shops of the CARSTAR Omaha/Lincoln Business Group, which includes CARSTAR Don & Ron’s, CARSTAR Northwest, CARSTAR Silver Hammer and CARSTAR Glenn’s. The Marketer of the Year award recognizes the individual who delivers the marketing programs with the most impact throughout the year.

“It is an incredible honor to be able to recognize the achievements of these great shops, owners and executives,” said Dean Fisher, COO of CARSTAR. “Our national award recipients not only set a great example for other shops to follow, they also spread their knowledge experience throughout the entire CARSTAR network to help each and every one of our shops grow.”