Eastern Florida Auto Glass Technician Gary Riebesehl Wins 2016 Safelite National Competition
Safelite AutoGlass®, the country’s largest vehicle glass repair and replacement service provider, has crowned Gary Riebesehl as the national champion of its 2016 technician competition. The bi-annual event – the Safelite Best of Belron® – brings together the company’s top 12 technicians to compete for the title.
Riebesehl, a long-time Brevard County resident, works in the Safelite Melbourne store and has been with the company for 15 years. Representing the “South Region,” this was his third straight trip to the national championship event. In fact, Riebesehl passed up promotions so he could take another crack at the Safelite Best of Belron title.
In addition to winning with the national championship, Riebesehl has earned a first-place cash prize and a trip to Portugal where he will compete will compete against the best technicians from 27 other countries at the International Best of Belron in Lisbon, Portugal, this spring.
“It’s more than a trophy,” Riebesehl reflected after winning the award. “It’s the opportunity to show what I can do. Auto glass work requires physical work: doing the steps hard, fast, accurately and efficiently. I felt pretty good after the competition, but I was still surprised. It’s an honor to win and to have the chance to represent the United States.”
The Safelite Best of Belron competition took place on January 20-21, 2016, in Chandler, Ariz., welcoming guests from all over the country – more than 250 employees and clients. 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.
“Many congratulations to Gary 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.”
The first runner-up was Richmond, Va. technician Jeremy Geouge who took home the second-place prize. Third place went to Charlotte technician Micah VanDyke.
About Safelite AutoGlass®
Safelite AutoGlass® is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with more than 6,500 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states. Last year, nearly 5 million customers chose Safelite for its 24/7 national contact centers, advanced online scheduling, superior repair and replacement systems, and the industry’s only nationwide lifetime guarantee. Founded in 1947, the Columbus, Ohio-based company employs more than 12,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit Safelite.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.