ROOKIE TECHNICIANS
OF THE YEAR
OUR RECIPIENTS
DAMIEN WILLERT
GODERICH, ONTARIO | ALTRUCK INTERNATIONAL
Damien is deserving of this nomination as he is one of the happiest people, always coming to work with a positive attitude and one of the best work ethics I have seen from someone of his age (20). He is always willing to tackle any job, from alignments to suspension springs — the bigger the task, the more he excels at it. Damien’s willingness to go the extra mile shows in his day-to-day work here at Altruck International Goderich. He is always smiling and jumping in to lend a helping hand to his fellow technicians. Damien’s approach is to make sure the customer gets their vehicle back at the time they are expecting it. He is willing to stay late or come in early as needed so the customers are satisfied and have their trucks to run their businesses.
Damien has earned the responsibility and trust of his fellow coworkers and customers. He has customers who always want him to work on their vehicles because he has gained their trust by ensuring their trucks are done on time and fixed correctly so that they do not have to come back. They are confident to drive down the road knowing the issue is repaired.
Damien always strives to be a top producer here in Goderich Altruck. He has been among the top three techs producing at an average of 82% proficiency since he began working here at Altruck. Damien will take on the challenge of producing well above his years of experience, and we are grateful for him and his abilities. He is going to be a great technician for years to come.
Damien is a special kid always willing to help. The guys took Damien out for his birthday to celebrate him, and while out at the restaurant, Damien saw a less fortunate individual and decided to purchase him a meal and drink so that the individual had food to eat. It was great to see the compassion from such a young individual in this time in society. He is the hardest-working person of his age I have ever worked with.
CARLOS ROJO
TEXARKANA, AR | ARTEX TRUCK CENTER
Carlos is a hardworking and extremely reliable technician at Artex Truck Center. He has worked hard to become Master Certified and is constantly learning with training daily to get better at his job. He has become a leader to his peers based on his background. He will not hesitate to stay late to get a job done or to help a customer, no matter what the time of day. Carlos graduated from school and couldn't find a job that would let him come in without experience. We found out and hired him. He started with PMs, brakes, wheel seals, etc. with no comebacks. Since then, Carlos has been instrumental in helping the employees who are just starting. He will jump right in with the guys and show them the correct way to do the repair and how to find the manuals. No matter what he is doing, he will take the time to help others and still keep his efficiency at the top. He will keep an eye out as he is working and will stop if he sees a tech struggling. He is trustworthy and responsible. He makes sure that our young and upcoming guys have what they need.
Carlos has been a top earner for quite a while. Even when we give him something new, he does the work to check the manuals to make sure he is prepared. He even looks up jobs at home the day before, so he knows what to expect. Carlos has excelled with all the training provided by International. He has become an all-around technician and our A26 guy.
Carlos's story makes him special. When he couldn't get a job with an OEM, he went to work for a correctional facility. When I found out about it, we brought him in, and now he is a leader for our young men, a great guy. He just had a newborn, bought a house, and is now a Master Certified International Technician!
KODY MAVIS
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI | ASCENDANCE TRUCK CENTERS
Kody has already achieved a lot in his young career. After graduating high school, he went into the construction field. A few years later, his brother talked him into joining us at Ascendence Truck Centers where he also works. At that time we had our first Uptime student enrolled in the 2022- 2023 Uptime class. After just four months working here, we could see we had something special in Kody, so we signed him up as well. Since then, it's been nothing but upward progress for Kody and his career here at Ascendance.
Coming from the construction field and living in Rural Wisconsin, Kody is a well-rounded tech and he is willing to work on anything. He has a special charisma and can get any room or shop laughing in a matter of seconds. Our service advisor once handed him a job with a Brand X truck: Kody handed it back to them and said, “I am an Uptime graduate, I only know how to work on International brand.” After the service writer walked away with a confused look on his face, Kody laughed and said, “I was kidding, I work on them all, work is work.”
Being an Uptime grad, he understands Uptime and the importance of getting the truck back on the road. He comes in on Saturdays when needed, stays late, and is always willing to come in early when asked.
Even though Kody is in the early stages of his career, you can often find him coming off the tool truck with his hands full of tools and a big smile. If asked what he bought, his reply is usually something like, “Need more tools to make more money and keep trucks on the road.” Kody is 100% International certified online, hands-on certified in CV, EV, HVAC, DLB, and A26. He is fully Allison certified in 1000, 2000, 3000 & 4000 series and working on getting certified in Cummins ISB, ISL, and X15. This is pretty impressive for less than 2 full years of working with us and being only 21 years old. Since graduating Uptime, Kody’s average proficiency has been 91%. He is a technician our customers can count on to be there and get the job done right the first time and in an acceptable amount of time.
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