Baton Rouge Technician Casey Rose Wins Safelite AutoGlass's National Competition
BATON ROUGE, La. – Jan. 16, 2014 - Safelite AutoGlass®, the country’s largest vehicle glass repair and replacement company, has crowned Casey Rose as the national champion of its 2014 technician competition. The bi-annual event – Safelite’s Best of Belron® – brings together the company’s top 12 technicians to compete for the title, a cash prize of $10,000 and to represent Safelite AutoGlass in the international Best of Belron® Competition, a tournament hosted by Safelite’s parent company, which includes champions from each of its 35 countries.
The event took place on January 10-11, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio, welcoming guests from all over the country. The competition, which includes windshield replacement, windshield repair, back glass replacement and side glass replacement, is based on skill, quality and customer service. The 12 competitors were identified in a series of market and regional competitions.
Representing Safelite’s Mid-South region, Baton Rouge, La. technician Casey Rose has been with the company for five years. The father of two met his wife at Safelite, who is a customer advocate supervisor Jill Mace. He will travel to Rome, Italy in May to compete for the international title.
To prepare for the competition, Rose worked closely with his technician manager Tony Darbonne. “I couldn’t have done it without Tony. Together, we studied the notes that our technician director provided and I made sure to take time with my customers,” Rose said. “I just felt good when I stepped away from my vehicle after the competition, knowing I communicated well with my customers making sure they understood what was going on. While I am excited to win, each one of the 12 guys are winners.”
The other competitors included:
1. Justin Bowie, Albuquerque (Southwest Region winner)
2. Steve Kerley, St. Louis (Midwest Region winner)
3. Jason Mayfield, Cheyenne, Wyo. (Rockies Region winner)
4. Scott McDermott, Baltimore (Mid-Atlantic Region winner)
5. Jacob Reed, Bloomsburg, Pa. (North Atlantic Region winner)
6. Gary Riebesehl, Palm Bay, Fla. (South Region winner)
7. John Rhine, Hanford, Calif. (California Region winner)
8. Michael Robertson, N. Charleston, S.C. (South Atlantic Region winner)
9. Troy Skidmore, Boise, Idaho (Northwest Region winner and runner-up in the national competition)
10. Micah Van Dyke, Charlotte (Wildcard entrant)
11. Guss Wasson, Louisville, Ky. (Ohio Valley Region winner)
“Many congratulations to Casey and all of the participants,” said Tom Feeney, president and CEO of Safelite.. “They have trained for nearly a year to prepare for this competition on top of their daily work. At Safelite AutoGlass, we strive to hire the best people, and all of our participants illustrate the excellent customer focus that has made us a leader in our industry. This competition is a fun, motivational way to demonstrate what a quality windshield replacement means to customers and what quality employees mean to us as a business. We are proud to have these individuals on our team.”
To see photos of Safelite’s Best of Belron®, visit www.flickr.com/photos/safelitebob14/ and follow the www.facebook.com/notes/safelite-best-of-belron/competition-schedule/214890871891416.
About Safelite AutoGlass®
Safelite AutoGlass®, founded in 1947, is the nation’s leading provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, providing mobile service to more than 95 percent of the U.S. population in all 50 states. The Columbus, Ohio-based company employs approximately 10,000 people across the United States and serves more than 4.3 million customers annually. For more information, visit www.safelite.com.
Editors’ Note:
Photos, video and interviews are available upon request.