A longtime employee of Franklin Toyota is slated to be honored this November with a national accolade.
Shop Foreman and Master Technician Jeff Williams recently completed his certification test, which measures a variety of components of a technician’s knowledge over the course of eight exams and an additional ‘advanced’ exam. Williams scored the highest in the nation – over every other certification seeker sent by Toyota dealerships across the United States in the last twelve months. There are more than 1,500 Toyota and Lexus dealers in the U.S.
As a result, he’s been named the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Master Automobile Technician of the Year for Toyota. He was notified of his accomplishment, which he didn’t even know existed, in a recent visit by the Southeast Toyota representative.
He said a regional manager came to see an apprentice and later called him into the office to join a Zoom meeting.
“I was surprised, speechless…just in disbelief,” Williams said. “This is all I’ve ever done and I knew last time I took the tests that I scored really well, but there’s so many people out there doing this and it was just unexpected.”
The award will be presented during the ASE Board of Governors Meeting and Service Professionals Awards Ceremony at the Desoto Hotel in Savannah, Georgia in November.
Williams, who is originally from Illinois but has called southeast Georgia ‘home’ since 1981, has worked for Franklin Toyota for the last fifteen years, but his tenure in mechanics spans 47 years. On a day-to-day basis, he’s responsible for advanced diagnostics and overseeing apprentices. He has already trained two to completion and has two more in the year-long program.
As for his own successes, Williams said he credits his parents, Sam and Maxine, who encouraged him when he was just eighteen years old to pursue mechanics and attend Nashville Auto-Diesel College. He also said his wife, Lynn, has been a longstanding source of support over the years.
On Franklin Toyota, Williams simply said the cliche saying is true: If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
“I enjoy working here. It’s a good environment and they give me the opportunity to share my knowledge with others,” he said.
