A Wisconsin professional technician will be recognized this week during a major industry event in Las Vegas.

The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) late last week announced the winners of the AAPEX Service & Repair Awards. The award series is an annual program that recognizes exemplary performance among independent repair shop owners, service advisors and repair technicians.

The AAPEX is Nov. 4-6 at the Venetian Expo and Caesar’s Forum.

The winners will be honored during the Keynote Breakfast with Wayne Gretzky. The awards will be presented to winners during the Beers and Gears Reception.

The Technician of the Year award winner is Tony Martinez of Silver Lake Auto & Tire Centers.

According to a statement from AAPEX, the technician category distinguishes Martinez as a technician with extraordinary diagnostic skills, technical proficiency, and stringent adherence to industry standards and safety requirements. Silver Lake Auto & Tire Centers has several locations surrounding Milwaukee,

A graduate of Waukesha Technical College’s automobile technology and automobile collision technology programs, Martinez holds six certifications from ASE, including master medium-heavy vehicle technology.

Also to be recognized at the AAPEX gathering are Service Advisor of the Year Katlyn French of Hillside Auto Repair and Shop Owner of the Year:Tom Palermo of Preferred Automotive Specialists

First introduced in 2020, anyone in the automotive aftermarket community can nominate a candidate for one of three award categories. A panel of volunteer industry experts then scores each nominee’s application; the highest score wins in each category.

“Recognition of a job well done is perhaps the most underutilized tool in a leader’s toolkit,” said Auto Care Association President and CEO Bill Hanvey. “The AAPEX Service & Repair Awards are a recurring reminder of the power of recognition.”

“Given the complexity of a modern vehicle, it’s a remarkable logistical and technical feat to be able to bring our vehicles to a repair facility and be back safely on the road in mere hours and often less,” said President of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Paul McCarthy. “Americans are dependent on our vehicles for transportation and in that sense, service and repair professionals like these are underrecognized neighborhood heroes.”

AAPEX is a trade show that brings together the global automotive aftermarket. The industry is highly competitive and estimated to be worth $435 billion in the U.S. and $2.3 trillion globally.