Jeff Olive Wins Auto Glass Technician Olympics in Las Vegas

Jeff Olive, director of quality control and a certified master auto glass technician with GlassPro, took home the trophy in the first-ever Auto Glass Technician Olympics yesterday at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The announcement was made at an awards breakfast this morning following a full day competition of qualifying heats followed by the final four competition last night.

South Carolina based GlassPro hit the Las Vegas jackpot, placing both its entries in the final four. Paul Heinauer, president of the Charleston, S.C. based company, was unable to be in Las Vegas with his technicians because he was attending a niece's wedding in Pittsburgh, but he followed the competition and results closely via cellphone.

The grand prize for the event is $5,000 second place was $1,000 and third place was $500. Placing second was Lynn Lovetinsky, a technician with Auto Glass Center in West Branch, Iowa, and Randy Chadwick, senior auto glass technician with GlassPro, took the number three spot in the competition. Carl Sorrells, Northwest Windshields Inc., Walla Walla, Wash., rounded out the field for the final four. All the competitors received medallions and a gift package for their participation.

The field of 24 competitors was judged according to the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS) by three long-time industry figures prominent in training: Bob Beranek with Automotive Glass Consultants, Steve Coyle of Performance Achievement Group (PAG) and a current columnist for AGRR magazine, and Gilbert Gutierrez with Equalizer Industries and the Auto Glass Academy.
In the preliminary heats, the competitors replaced a windshield in a late model car.
For the final round, the competitors replaced the backlite in a Ford Taurus. Testing the true mettle to find a champion, this installation of the bonded glass challenged the final four contestants to get the glass out intact and the moulding as well, if possible because otherwise they would have to figure out a way to get a new moulding on the unit.

The Auto Glass Technician Olympics was co-sponsored by AGRR magazine, sister publication of glassBYTEs™ and the Independent Glass Association.

Corporate sponsors included Pilkington, Dow Automotive, eDirect Glass, Mainstreet Computers, SIKA Corp., A.N. Designs, Auto Glass Journal, EFTEC, Equalizer Industries, GTS Services, Herz Corp., Mygrant Glass, Pipe Knife and glassBYTEs.

Following is the scoring for the final round and the preliminary competition at the Olympics.

* note - time was only used in the event of a tie and was not part of the overall judging criteria.