ATLANTA —
NAPA Auto Parts and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) have named Karen Karrer the 2005 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year. Karrer, of Jeffersontown, Ky., is the sixth recipient of this national award, which offers special recognition to a parts professional of the NAPA system and industry.
The unanimous choice of the judges, Karrer and her family co-own and operate four NAPA stores served by NAPA Louisville. The judging panel was comprised of ASE representatives, trade press and aftermarket industry education and association executives.
“I’m honored to receive this award and proud to be ASE certified. I’m also proud to have earned this award as an independent jobber,” said Karrer, who has worked with ASE since it began certifying parts specialists. “I believe in training for all of our people. It is especially important for younger people who are just starting their careers.”
Karrer’s passion is expressed in the creative things she does to connect with her staff and customers alike. For example, she created a class for female customers called “Ladies, Start Your Engines.” For each class, she takes an auto part and shows how it works within a car, what the driver’s effect on the part is and how it wears.
In nominating Karrer, NAPA Louisville General Manager Jim Whitmore said, “Karen epitomizes the person every NAPA dealer wants to have behind the counter. She leads by example when it comes to sales training, product updates, employee training and more and Karen constantly works to improve herself and her business.”
Today, Karrer is certified in the P2 Automotive Parts Specialist category, a certification she has maintained since 1993, and earned Counterman magazine’s Counterperson of the Year recognition in 1992. In her 30 years in the parts industry, Karrer has worked in every capacity, including driver, counterperson, outside sales, store manager, sales and promotions manager and owner of a successful operation.
“The Parts Specialist of the Year award grows in prestige with each passing year it is given,” said Bob Susor, NAPA president. “This year, Karen has set the bar high, given her impressive list of accomplishments. She is dedicated to her profession, to our industry and committed to her family and community. She is a role model for us all.”
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