LAS VEGAS – Pete Kornafel, vice chairman of CARQUEST and chairman of the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship Committee, was presented the prestigious Triangle Award by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) during the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Executive Breakfast at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) yesterday.
For more than 30 years, MEMA has presented its Triangle Award periodically to that person, persons or organization whom the association’s members choose to honor for selfless contribution to the automotive industry.
“Pete has had a stellar career in the automotive aftermarket – but it is his devotion to promoting our industry to the next generation of the aftermarket for which we recognize him today,” said Bob McKenna, president and CEO of MEMA, in his presentation of the award. “Since assuming the GAAS Scholarship Committee chairmanship in 2003, Pete has made his passion for the automotive aftermarket into his personal crusade to introduce as many students as possible to careers in this industry. He exemplifies the spirit of the award and is deserving of MEMA’s highest honor.”
Kornafel’s accomplishments as GAAS chairman include a complete redesign of the scholarship website to allow students to apply for the scholarship online, promoting the scholarships through social media such as “Facebook,” and reaching out to other industry associations and state associations to tie their own scholarships to the GAAS online application process.
“Pete devotes countless hours to this strictly voluntary position,” McKenna noted in the Triangle Award presentation. “He personally reviews every scholarship application – not just for the most outstanding students, but for those who need a boost out of bad situations,” McKenna added.
Pete Kornafel is well-known and respected in the industry through his years at CARQUEST. He also is an accomplished author of an industry book, “Inventory Management and Purchasing,” published in 2004. He has served the industry on many boards and councils including chairman of the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), director of ASE (National Institute for Automotive Excellence) and vice chair of the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).
The MEMA Triangle award was presented to Gene Ezzell, retired president of Crane Cams, in 2009. Other past winners include David O’Reilly of O’Reilly Automotive Inc.; Pete Joy of Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems; the late Joseph M. Magliochetti of Dana Corp.; Tom Gallagher of Genuine Parts Co.; Robert H. Raff, MAAP; L. Gene Stohler of Masco Tech Inc.; Frederick J. Mancheski of Echlin Inc.; John M. Riess (then of The Gates Rubber Co.); the late Larry McCurdy (then of Moog Automotive); and Jack Reilly (then of Tenneco Automotive).
