Michael Loy, owner of Mike Loy’s Collision Inc. in Lewisburg, Ohio, has been named the Automotive Service Association (ASA)/National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Collision Technician of the Year. The award recognizes the ASA Collision Division member who received the highest score on the 2008 ASE master collision repair/refinish certification test.
“I feel honored to receive this award from ASA,” Loy said. “It was a real surprise to receive the phone call from Bill Haas [of ASA] to find out this award came with an all-expense-paid trip to NACE. Ten days later, I received another surprise – ASE called to congratulate me on winning the Snap-On/ASE Master Collision Repair and Refinish Technician of the Year Award for the United States and Canada.”
Loy, 56, has been an ASA member 15 years and has been active in the collision repair industry since 1972. He represents the third generation that has owned and operated a collision shop in Lewisburg. Mike Loy’s Collision is celebrating its 91st year.
Loy has been an I-CAR instructor 19 years and is the lead I-CAR instructor for Ohio. He is an I-CAR Platinum Individual. Loy has been an I-CAR instructor qualification trainer and won the Instructor of the Year award in 1996 for the South Central Region.
He is a past president of the Dayton (Ohio) Auto Body Association, which is now called the Ohio Collision Repair Association (OCRA).
Loy and his wife of 34 years have five married daughters and four grandchildren (with the fifth grandchild expected in December). They live in Eaton, Ohio, which is about 10 miles away from the shop in Lewisburg.
Mark Wagenblast, owner of Mark’s Automotive Inc. in Bend, Ore., has been named the 2008 ASA/ASE Mechanical Technician of the Year.
Wagenblast, 47, has been in automotive service and repair 26 years. He started working on vehicles soon after he graduated from high school and earned an associate degree of applied science in automotive technology from Central Oregon Community College in Bend.
He has been an ASE master technician more than 20 years. Wagenblast started Mark’s Automotive in 1988. Although his shop specializes in Chrysler and Mitsibushi vehicles, it also works on all domestic vehicles and Asian imports. Mark’s Automotive is also a NAPA Auto Care Center.
Wagenblast, who values continuing education, spends more than 60 hours a year in classes, primarily those presented through the CARQUEST Technical Institute. He has also taken Automotive Management Institute (AMI) classes.
The awards were presented Nov. 7 during the Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW) awards breakfast for NACE and CARS attendees.
For more information about ASA, visit www.asashop.org.
