DENVER, Colo. – The Automotive Aftermarket division of The Gates Corp., in collaboration with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), have named Ronnie Bush Sr. as the Gates Tools for Schools/ASE Instructor of the Year. 
ASE, a non-profit organization established to improve the quality of automotive repair and service through the testing and certification of technicians and parts specialists, partnered with sponsor Gates to recognize a top automotive instructor who displays commitment to his or her students and to the automotive service industry.
To qualify for the Gates Tools for Schools/ASE Instructor of the Year award, candidates must have registered as an instructor through ASE and must be Master Auto Certified + L1, and have taken at least one ASE test in the last 12 months. They also have to be a registered Gates Tools for Schools member, be a Gates Performance Center administrator with students enrolled in their class, participate in the Gates Tools for Schools webinars and be currently contracted to teach automotive technology.
Bush was recognized for his involvement in all phases of the Gates Tools for Schools program, including webinars, which cover topics such as accessory belt drive systems (ABDS), coolant systems and timing component systems. Bush utilizes the Gates Performance Center as a supplemental learning platform, where his students have received 151 certificates of completion for automotive courses offered by Gates. Bush has been ASE certified since May 1987.
“I tell my Automotive Technology students that some people have a job and some people have a career,” said Bush. “Being a professional automotive service technician is a career. It’s not what you do, it’s who you are. You can only make that kind of commitment to something you love.”
A technician for 38 years, Bush teaches automotive technology at Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Jackson, Tenn. He grew up working at his family’s automotive shop and credits his father, an auto mechanic, for being his mentor.
“My father was my mentor and my teacher and I never wanted to be anything other than an automobile mechanic,” said Bush. “My son continued the tradition and it was my honor to be his teacher at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. He is now an ASE-certified technician working at an independent service center.”
Bush was honored at the ASE Fall Board of Governors Meeting held Nov. 20th, 2013 in Newport Beach, Calif.
