2024 NAPA Auto Care Center and NAPA/ASE Technician of the Year Named
The 2024 NAPA Auto Care Center of the Year and the NAPA/ASE Technician of the Year have been named in a recent press release.
Located in St. Charles, Missouri, is Sparks Tire & Auto, this year’s NAPA Auto Care Center of the Year. First opened in 2000 by Ron Tinner, his daughter Jessica Carrino grew up helping in the business before taking it over herself in 2021.
Though Carrino does not perform work on vehicles, she is ASE-certified as a service consultant and helps explain to customers more technical aspects of the work being done.
She’s helped the store become involved with Welcome Wagon packages, introduced a new-and-improved car club loyalty program, and a “Tires at Cost” campaign, as well as promoting an online presence that has driven customer engagement.
Sparks became one of the first NAPA Gold Certified shops in 2018 and is currently involved with several NAPA programs including Gold Certification, Repair Shop of Tomorrow, NAPA TRACS, and the NAPA Apprentice Program. It’s an ASE Blue Seal shop that employs only ASE-certified technicians who must complete 80 hours of training each year.
Logan Tate, this year’s NAPA/ASE Technician of the Year, has had an interest in automotive work from a young age. He was only five years old when his parents opened Cloverdale Automotive & Tires, and from the beginning helped in any way he could, such as cleaning up or moving tires.
Still carrying that passion throughout high school, he went on to earn an associate degree in business management, specializing in automotive repair, from WyoTech technical college in Laramie, Wyoming, with a 4.0 GPA.
Among several offers from local dealerships, Tate started working at Sanderson Ford, where he gained Ford certification and other training. After he proved himself as a technician, he came back to work at his parents' shop, earned all his ASE certifications, and became a Level 1 Specialist and Master Technician.
Now as Cloverdale’s lead tech, he volunteers with several service organizations and speaks to local schools about the value of attending a vocational school. When his parents retire, he plans to take over Cloverdale himself.
