In front of more than 1,500 people, including 550 customers, suppliers and colleagues, the 30 best Belron technicians competed to win the title “Best of Belron.” They represented 15,000 highly skilled Belron technicians who carry out 11.7 million vehicle glass repair and replacement jobs a year. At its conclusion, Rick Beasley from Safelite Auto Glass was named the Best Belron Technician in the World.
After months of preparation and training, the finalists had to demonstrate perfection in all aspects of their job, including a back glass replacement, windscreen repair, body glass replacement and windscreen replacement. They displayed their expertise in vehicle glass repair and replacement, handling new technologies and following quality and safety standards as well as communication with their customers.
A team of judges rated the finalists, not only evaluating their performance for quality, safety and efficiency, but also ensuring fairness and transparency throughout the competition.
Gary Lubner, Belron CEO, commented, “This competition is held to recognize and celebrate the excellence of our technicians and it’s so inspiring to see all these talented technicians, putting so much passion and effort into what they do. Our aim is to carry out every job with real care and each of our finalists certainly showed what this means. This event really shows what the Spirit of Belron is all about – it’s more than just repairing and replacing vehicle glass.”
After the competition, the winner was announced by Gary Lubner at a special gala ceremony. The winner received prize money equal to one year’s salary. Beasley says he was overwhelmed: “I’m still in shock – I’ll be in shock for another three days. It’s great to get a back-to-back win for the USA.”
Leo Benz from Germany came in second, while third place went to Ryan Adams from Canada.
Alongside the competition, a conference titled ‘“Driving Change” brought together more than 550 business partners from insurance, fleet, lease and rental industries. Renowned speakers from industry and research including Lyft Inc. Chief Operating Officer Jon McNeill, President and Chief Operating Officer of Liberty Mutual Insurance James MacPhee and trendspotting futurologist Magnus Lindkvist, offered valuable insights into the challenges that changes in the automotive industry are bringing. Key topics included the constant evolution in vehicle safety and design, changing customer attitudes to their own mobility and how businesses may need to innovate and change themselves to stay ahead of these developments.
In addition, suppliers, partners and Belron showcased their products and services, including the latest developments in vehicle glass and automotive repair technology, in a large exhibition.
More information on the competition and the conference can be found here.
