Auto Care Education (ACE) Award
ACE Award - Auto Care Education Award (formerly the Head of the Class Award)
The Auto Care Education (ACE) Award recognizes auto care companies dedicated to excellence in education.
Award-winning companies are acknowledged as leaders in the industry, dedicated to investing in the growth of knowledge and skills within their organization and/or throughout the industry. This may include employee training, customer education programs, programs for instructor and/or students, and other education programs for the industry at-large. Up to three awards will be given, based on company size:
- Small: Under 100 Employees
- Mid-size: 101 – 999 Employees
- Large: Over 1000 Employees
The Auto Care Association promotes the winning companies as examples of what leading companies are doing, outlining their successful programs, and sharing the return on investment each company experiences.
The deadline for submissions is December 20, 2024.
How recipients are recognized:
- Special commemorative award and ACE Award logo for website;
- Featured in press releases and aftermarket media;
- Recognition during new Auto Care Connect Awards Ceremony this May in Phoenix to an audience of nearly 1,000 executives
- Highlighted on Auto Care social media channels to tens of thousands of followers;
- Exclusive Auto Care Insider Magazine interview;
- Blogs, podcasts, and more!
What needs to be submitted?
A high level overview of the education programs or activities you're highlighting and your "company story". The company story is where you go into detail on your education programs/activities and their impact. Your company story can be submitted as a word document, PDF or video. There is no word count or limit on pages, examples, length of video, etc.
How are submissions evaluated?
Submissions are evaluated based on: overall description of program activities; description of program goals or response to a specific need; and the outcomes and/or impact of the program/educational activities.
2024 ACE Award Recipients
Small Company: Robertson Automotive
Robertson Automotive
Location: Tyler, Texas
- Robertson Automotive located in Tyler, TX has provided their local market and surrounding communities with personal service and quality auto repair since 1992. They focus on building confidence with each of their customers by being "The Name to Trust" through the work of their highly trained staff and sharing of automotive knowledge.
- As a team they capitalize on every educational opportunity they are presented with, whether that is an afterhours class in the evenings, a lunch-and-learn with a vendor or online training through Group Training Academy or ATG (Automotive Training Group).
- They take pride in the fact that all their technicians are ASE trained and certified to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction and expert service. In addition to keeping up with ASE training and certification, team members completed a required amount of training each quarter.
- Another facet of their leading educational efforts is directly connecting with manufacturers and distributors through their local 20-20 group, where the channel of distribution is brought together to focus on product training shop operations.
- Robertson Automotive believes investment in their technicians is key to their success and the success of their team as a whole. With the ever-progressive changes being made in the automotive industry, they find that staying on top of education is imperative to keeping up with the industry.
Mid-Size Company: Mevotech
Mevotech
Location: North York, Ontario, Canada
Location: North York, Ontario, Canada
- Mevotech is committed to creating educational and professional development opportunities that enhance the expertise, abilities, and overall job satisfaction of both their team members and industry professionals.
- Internal training initiatives include MevoUniversity, a comprehensive learning platform for employees, the LEAD Program, the Next Generation Program, and UnstoppabElle.
- The LEAD Program, which is a part of MevoUniversity, focuses on developing leadership skills through engaging sessions, assessments, support from professional leadership coaches and the newly added two-day course on Situational Leadership.
- MevoUniversity also offers the Next Generation Program, which aims to help young leaders build and refine their leadership skills. The first series consisted of 15-weeks of interactive face-to-face and online group development courses that emphasized five basic principles of leadership.
- Their employee resource group, UnstoppabElle, focuses on empowering women leaders through learning, curated events and shared experiences.
- Beyond their walls, they extend learning through the Mevotech Training Portal, engaging instructional videos, their comprehensive media hub, an informative YouTube channel, interactive Train-the-Trainer sessions, and the hands-on MevoMobile experience, their mobile classroom program.
Large Company: Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc.
Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc.
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota
- Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc. (APH) is committed to its Core Value: We enhance our performance through learning and innovation; we are only satisfied with constant improvement. This is demonstrated through their comprehensive education strategy, designed to support employee development, increase job skills, and offer leadership growth opportunities while meeting the needs of diverse learning styles.
- APH is committed to supporting their team through a holistic educational approach. This includes customized programs for onboarding, career pathing, and professional development. Notable educational initiatives include; essential and job skills training, product training, Heavy Duty Training program, Manager 101 Training program, Manager Trainee program, and a Monthly Training Video.
- APH fosters a culture of continuous learning and professional/personal growth. They offer a blended learning approach, offering online, instructor-led, and virtual training courses. Key topics covered include; The Practical Coach, The Value Added Difference, Effective Listening, Building Trust, Rebuilding Trust, and Skillful Collaboration, to name a few. Additionally, APH organizes annual virtual and in-person conferences for leaders throughout the organization.
- To continuously enhance training, Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc. looks to developing and acquiring new resources. This includes integrating with outside and relevant resources into their robust eLearning platform, APH University. They also partner with manufacturers to enhance and add content to create both introductory, and advanced technical training to support product knowledge, service, and repair. APH University serves as a one-stop shop for all training and aims to also be the connection point for employees to access The Group Training Academy.
- To ensure efficacy of education goals, APH tracks and reports on metrics quarterly and as requested. Through their investment in education, Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc. has seen improved employee performance, engagement and organizational execution as well as leadership continuity and an overall elevated employee experience.
highlights from previous award ceremonies
Past ACE Award Recipients
2023 ace award recipients
2022 ace award recipients
2021 ace award recipients
2020 ace award recipients
2019 ace award recipients
2018 ace award recipients
2017 ace award recipients
2015 (head of the class award)
Automotive Supply Associates, Inc./Sanel Auto Part’s
Dynamic Automotive
Robert Bosch LLC, Automotive Aftermarket Division, North America
Dynamic Automotive
Robert Bosch LLC, Automotive Aftermarket Division, North America
2016 ace award recipients
2014 (head of the class award)
The Auto-Wares Group
Advanced Auto Part
Don McNeill Enterprises LTD
Eau Clair Auto Parts
Gates Corporation
N.A. Williams
Olympus Imported Auto Parts
Sears Automotive
Advanced Auto Part
Don McNeill Enterprises LTD
Eau Clair Auto Parts
Gates Corporation
N.A. Williams
Olympus Imported Auto Parts
Sears Automotive
2013 (head of the class award)
Dorman Products, Inc.
Mevotech
Motown Automotive Distributing Co.
Sonsio, Inc.
Tasco Sales Reps.
The Merrill Co- Arnold Motor Supply
Mevotech
Motown Automotive Distributing Co.
Sonsio, Inc.
Tasco Sales Reps.
The Merrill Co- Arnold Motor Supply
2012 (head of the class award)
Automotive Parts Headquarters, Inc.
Crow-Burlingame Company
Gold Eagle Company
Gustafson’s Auto Clinic, Inc./Tirecraft
The Timken Company
VIP – Parts, Tires & Service
Crow-Burlingame Company
Gold Eagle Company
Gustafson’s Auto Clinic, Inc./Tirecraft
The Timken Company
VIP – Parts, Tires & Service
2011 (head of the class award)
Car Doctor
KOI Auto Parts
N.A. Williams Company
Olympus Imported Auto Parts
Tenneco, Inc.
KOI Auto Parts
N.A. Williams Company
Olympus Imported Auto Parts
Tenneco, Inc.