CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts recently announced the top CARSTAR owners and business groups throughout its network at its annual conference.

In the categories for top operations, Dean Fisher, vice president of operations for CARSTAR, presented four awards to CARSTAR stores for their achievements. The winners included:

Franchisee of the Year

Taking home the top honor as Franchisee of the Year was CARSTAR Jungerman in St. Peters, Mo., owned by Kerry Woodson and Toni Donius. Franchisee of the Year is the highest award given in the CARSTAR system, and it represents the best of the best within CARSTAR. This year’s winner 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 was CARSTAR Friendly of Roselle in Roselle, Ill., which is run by Body Shop Director Eric Schmit. This award recognizes a new CARSTAR franchisee as it gets “up and running” with CARSTAR. To qualify for the award, a franchisee must have been with CARSTAR 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 goes to the CARSTAR Puget Sound Business Group, which represents 22 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. For 2015, the Next Generation Award was presented to husband and wife, Tony and Sharon Kempen, who run CARSTAR Pat’s Auto Body in Plover, Wis., and CARSTAR Eau Claire South in Eau Claire, Wis.

“It takes a great deal of innovative thinking, strong leadership and teamwork to satisfy so many customers while meeting the challenges of today’s economy and ever-changing business environment,” said Fisher. “The national award recipients we’ve recognized during this year’s CARSTAR conference should be proud of their accomplishments. We can all learn something from their examples.”