National Oil and Lube News has announced their 2020 Technician of the Year, Tamara Utley of The Lube Center, Lanham, MD. She is a dynamic leader in the automotive industry and an advocate of Mighty’s products and services.
The esteemed honor of NOLN’s Technician of the Year is awarded to recognize quick maintenance professionals for their talent, inspiration, dedication to improving the automotive industry, and giving back.
Tamara works at The Lube Center, a part of the WLR Automotive Group. Tamara began her automotive career over a decade ago as a Courtesy Technician – vacuuming and cleaning customer’s vehicles’ windows. Since that time, she has taken the initiative to learn the entire business, top to bottom, and is now an Assistant Manager for WLR. Her nomination as Technician of the Year rests on her people-focused principles of building a solid rapport and consistently providing an environment of learning and transparency with her technicians and customers.
“How’s your gas tank been treating you?”
Mighty’s VS7® products are a core offering for the WLR team, and Tamara understands the importance of offering the right product at the right time. She notes asking customers about their gas mileage performance is a great segue to offer services, such as a fuel system cleaning. Tamara’s magnetic energy has a traditional way of creating repeat customers time and time again. “I always greet with my name. Thank [them] for coming in. And then I listen. I ask, ‘How has it been since the last time you were here?’” Every exchange is an opportunity to reinforce WLR’s focus on customer experience, reiterating the importance of how a little preventive maintenance goes a long way.
As NOLN’s 2020 Technician of the Year, Tamara has set a standard for women in the automotive industry. It is no secret that women make up a small percentage of the automotive industry, but that did not deter Tamara from becoming the best of the best. Her advice to young women looking to enter the industry is obvious:
“Fear not. And find a good role model, leader, or coach that will get you to where you want to be. When I started in this field, the only thing I had was a driver’s license—I did not even know there was a such thing as preventive maintenance. But I gravitated to it, like cereal and milk.”
Mighty wishes the utmost congratulations to Tamara and her momentous accomplishment for winning the NOLN Technician of the Year Award. She is setting the example every single day of ways to Be Mightier!
About Mighty Distributing System
Mighty is headquartered in Peachtree Corners, GA and supports 100 franchised distributors in 44 U.S. states and five international markets. The Mighty System features local service, inventory management expertise, and training in conjunction with extensive offerings of OE quality underhood and undercar parts, chemical products, lubricants, shop supplies, and PPE products. The Mighty business model attracts independent repair shops, quick lubes, tire centers and new car dealerships across the nation and abroad. Mighty’s unique approach of dealing directly and exclusively with automotive professionals began in 1963.
