Chief Automotive Technologies has bolstered its Chief University instructional staff. Three instructors with diverse collision repair backgrounds have been added to the in-house Chief University team, and they will share their expertise at courses held across the country.
The new Chief University instructors include Ruben Castorena, Len Gray and Jeff Mathews.
Castorena served in the insurance industry as an automotive damage appraiser before joining Chief’s research and specification team in 2010. At Chief’s Irvine, California, measuring and specification center, Castorena developed the vehicle repair data needed to return damaged vehicles to OEM specs. He remains based in Irvine.
Gray got his start in the collision repair industry in 1975 as a body technician and painter. Since then, he has held a wide variety of roles, including vehicle insurance appraiser, dealership manager and heavy-duty truck body shop manager. Gray served as an instructor at Chief’s Dallas training center from 1995 to 2003, and is currently based in Beaumont, Texas.
Mathews is based at Chief’s headquarters in Madison, Indiana, where he previously provided technical support for Chief customers and trained distributors. He has been with Chief parent company Vehicle Service Group (VSG) for more than 10 years, and also formerly served as a product consultant, customer service supervisor and trainer for Chief sister company Rotary Lift. Mathews has extensive knowledge about the Chief product line, and how to repair or troubleshoot equipment.
“We are continuously enhancing the Chief University curriculum to include advanced techniques for today’s technicians, but even the best content needs the right instructors to make an impact,” said Ken Boylan, global training manager for Chief. “That’s why we brought three instructors on board who have practical knowledge ranging from collision dynamics and estimating to advanced equipment and vehicle specifications. These instructors will lead Chief University courses throughout the year, and course participants will benefit greatly from their insights.”
Castorena, Gray, Mathews and the rest of the Chief University training staff will conduct more than 20 courses during the third quarter this year. To view the schedule and to register, visit chiefautomotive.com/Chief-University.
