I-CAR announced it awarded the I-CAR Platinum/ASE Master Collision Repair & Refinish Technician of the Year award to Walt Rundell of Ranken Technical College, St. Louis, Mo., at the annual ASE Technician Awards banquet Nov. 13 in Phoenix, Ariz. This was the fourth year that the joint I-CAR and ASE award has been presented.
Rundell, whose career spans nearly 40 years with half of it dedicated to training and education, was selected from hundreds of individuals who hold both I-CAR Platinum recognition and ASE Master Collision Repair & Refinish certification. In this elite group, he distinguished himself by demonstrating a superior commitment to the industry and the importance of training.
Rundell’s history with Ranken dates back to the early 1980s when he was a student there. He earned an A.T. degree in automotive collision repair and a B.S. degree in applied management from Ranken. He would eventually return to Ranken in 2006 as an instructor, after gaining diverse industry experience, working first as a technician and then as an insurance estimator and trainer. For the past 20 years, Rundell also has been an I-CAR volunteer and part-time instructor. He explained his decision to join Ranken’s faculty and make teaching a full-time pursuit was because “I enjoy helping others to realize their dreams and goals.”
Rundell’s peers look up to him as a mentor, according to Nick Notte, senior vice president, sales for I-CAR.
“Walt is known for his broad, in-depth knowledge and a hands-on approach that benefits the next generation of collision repairers he is educating, as well as the industry collision repairers he teaches as an I-CAR instructor,” said Notte. “He sets an excellent example for his students with his own ongoing commitment to training and keeping his skills current.”
Photo Caption: Walt Rundell (second from left) accepts the I-CAR Platinum™/ASE Master Collision Repair & Refinish Technician of the Year award at the ASE awards banquet. Also pictured (from left) are Tim Zilke, ASE President; Nick Notte; and Tom Trisdale, ASE Board Chairman and Toyota Motor North America Vice President of Product Quality & Service Support.
