How many people show up in your shop? I don’t mean those who arrive, punch in and spend the day, but those who truly perform at a high level for the benefit of your business, your customers and the industry as a whole. You know the ones—the difference makers, the people you couldn’t be in business without. Hopefully you’ve got a whole team of those people, but if not, you can probably at least name one.
“Showing up,” is a phrase more commonly used in the world of sports. We hear in post-game press conferences whether a team showed up to play. Maybe it was an individual player who showed up in a big way to get the win. This way of thinking applies just as much to business, and our Ratchet+Wrench All-Star Awards were developed to recognize the outstanding individuals who show up every day and make this industry great.
For the second year now, we have asked you, our readers, to nominate the colleagues and peers who deserve to be thanked on a grand stage—the selfless individuals doing great things in auto service. The criteria for winning is purposely broad, as the achievements that make someone stand out can vary greatly. We asked for business accomplishments, and examples of industry influence and community engagement, among other considerations.
Once again, you delivered in a big way, creating a huge, yet rewarding, challenge for the editorial team. The amount of thought put into nominations was impressive, and a clear testament to the talented, innovative, and passionate professionals who are driving the industry forward.
After much debate, we decided on the five honorees profiled in this issue (starting on page 35). Congratulations to this year’s winners.
We will be accepting nominations for next year’s Ratchet+Wrench All-Star Awards from now through July 1 of 2015, so take a little time to think of who shows up at your shop, then go to ratchetandwrenchawards.com to tell us about them. And if you’ve nominated the past two years, thank you—and don’t give up!
Next year could be the year for your nominee.
Jake Weyer[email protected]
