AAPEX Announces 2026 Service & Repair Awards Winners
News related to:AAPEX · 2 min read
AAPEX, the global automotive aftermarket trade organization, has announced the winners of its seventh annual Service & Repair Awards. The awards, which recognize excellence in automotive repair and service, were presented to Bill Nalu, Mike Austin, and Matt Wagg, who were named Shop Owner, Service Advisor, and Technician of the Year, respectively.
Bill Nalu, the owner of Interstate Auto Care in Madison Heights, Michigan, was named Shop Owner of the Year.
Mike Austin, the service advisor at Schearer’s Sales & Service, Inc., in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was honored as Service Advisor of the Year. He credited the shop’s owner and marketing manager, Tom Schearer, as well as Samantha Schearer-Hidgon (who was Service Advisor of the Year in 2024) and 180Biz President Rick White, for his success.
Matt Wagg, the founder, owner, and lead technician at Accelerated Diagnostic and Automotive in Bennington, Nebraska, was named Technician of the Year. Wagg, who holds 19 different ASE certifications, including as a Master Automobile Technician, emphasized the importance of continued learning and development in the automotive industry.
The awards were presented at AAPEX 2026 during the Keynote Breakfast with Coach Mike Krzyzewski. The winners were also honored at the Beers and Gears Reception, which took place near Joe’s Garage (Venetian, level 2) on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 4-6:00 p.m. local time in Las Vegas.
AAPEX, which unites the global automotive aftermarket, is a market valued at $2.65 trillion worldwide and $599.7 billion in the U.S. The annual trade show attracts thousands of exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees from around the world to find new products and innovations, expand business relationships, and advance their team’s skills with world-class technical and business training sessions. With more than 60 years of history, AAPEX is one of the longest-running and largest automotive aftermarket events in the Western Hemisphere. It consistently ranks in the top 1% of U.S. trade shows by leading trade publications, including the Gold 100 Honorees by Trade Show Executive (TSE) and the Top 250 Trade Show List by Trade Show Network News (TSNN).