Navistar honors exceptional dealer technicians with first-ever Technician of the Year award

This year's award recognized two exceptional technicians for their dedication to continuous learning and providing exceptional customer service: rookie technician Scott Killebrew of Landmark Trucks LLC in Knoxville, Tenn. and veteran technician Tony Guzman of Kyrish Truck Centers in Houston, Texas.

Navistar, a leading manufacturer of commercial trucks and buses, recently introduced its inaugural Technician of the Year award to honor outstanding technician talent.

This year’s award recognized two exceptional technicians for their dedication to continuous learning and providing exceptional customer service: rookie technician Scott Killebrew of Landmark Trucks LLC in Knoxville, Tenn. and veteran technician Tony Guzman of Kyrish Truck Centers in Houston, Texas.

According to Ana Salcido, technician recruitment manager at Navistar, the Technician of the Year award highlights the commitment of International Truck and IC Bus dealer technicians to pursue continuous improvement and deliver the highest level of customer service. “Our technicians are an integral part of our business, and they consistently support our customers and keep their trucks moving,” she said.

Scott Killebrew, a rookie technician at Landmark Trucks, impressed his colleagues with his tireless work ethic and commitment to completing mandatory dealer training within 45 days of his hiring, half the allotted time. Killebrew’s dedication was further evident during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when many of his colleagues were out sick. Despite being a new hire, Killebrew worked six days a week and nearly 70 hours to help ease the burden on his service manager.

Bryan Davis, service manager at Landmark Trucks, praised Killebrew’s proficiency, efficiency, and productivity, which are on par with veteran technicians and often exceed everyone in gross profit. “We had three coworkers lose their lives to COVID-19, and Scott’s positive attitude, jokes, and dedication have helped us get back on track after a very hard season,” Davis said.

Meanwhile, Tony Guzman, a veteran technician at Kyrish Truck Centers with nearly 30 years of experience, has earned the respect and trust of his customers and colleagues alike. He started at the company as an entry-level technician in 1993 and worked his way up to lead Diamond Certified technician. Many customers have Guzman’s personal cell number and often call him directly for service. Recently, when one of Kyrish’s long-time customers had a foreman resign, Guzman stepped in to help by visiting the customer’s yard every Monday for a month to direct their crew on what needed to be done for the fleet.

“Tony performs at an elite level and does the job right the first time. Because of his reputation, he has earned the trust of the entire shop and has recently been promoted to a foreman role,” said Ray Caldwell, service manager at Kyrish Truck Centers.

Killebrew and Guzman were selected from a pool of 48 technicians recognized throughout 2022 in Navistar’s Technician of Influence program. Both programs are supported by Navistar’s Tech EmPOWERment Program, which encourages technicians to pursue continuous education and training to improve their skills and advance their careers.

To learn more about Navistar’s Tech EmPOWERment program, visit www.internationaltrucks.com/en/support/tech-empowerment.


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