ACE AWARD 2016 VIC'S SERVICE LTD. Vic's Service Ltd. is the 2016 recipient of the Auto Care Career and Education (ACE) Award in the small company category. It is a full-service automotive repair and maintenance shop with nine employees, located in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada. The following information was provided by Doug Callaghan, owner. For more info, visit www.autocare.org/ aceaward. What training education initiatives did you find most helpful? We have found that providing the training and paying for the staff's time to take the training help keep them engaged in the process. We do not just expect them to do it; management also follows up with the staff and expects a report back on what was good about certain training and what was not. We expect them to share the knowledge with the rest of the staff. What have you learned from implementing training and professional growth objectives? We have learned that the culture in the business has changed to a more accountable and supportive environment. They have become a team accountable to each other, as they are all equally-engaged in our processes. Why do you think it's important to encourage education and professional growth in your employees? To remain relevant in this industry, you must stay on top of the changes that are occurring and the new technologies that are coming down the pipe. We will simply not be able to repair vehicles properly without the education. The industry is changing very quickly and the old model of how the repair business ran is no longer relevant. 16 AUTO CARE INSIDER | VOL. 105http://vicsservice.mechanicnet.com/ http://www.autocare.org/aceaward