COLORADO-BASED
TECHNICIAN RECEIVES
INTERNATIONAL AWARD
WINNING SPIRIT IN ACTION: STEVE TRAVIS
Receiving a prestigious annual award that honors one’s work
signals a career landmark and unlocks an exceptional lifetime
achievement. Steve Travis of Larry H. Miller Liberty Toyota, in
Colorado Springs, will be the recipient of such an honor, as he
stands to be named to the Toyota 2014 Assembly of Champions.
Travis will attend this year’s ceremony in Nagoya, Japan, as
the only technician represented from the entire United States
– a special distinction for the LHM Group of Companies. The
Assembly of Champions recognizes the top assistant service
manager, technician, parts professional and collision repair
technician from several countries.
Qualifying for this accolade is certainly no easy task. Specific
and rigorous Toyota certifications must be met: possessing
Master Diagnostics status for 2014 and successful completion
of a Master Diagnostic Technician Qualification Test. But this
proved to be second nature for Travis, who is no stranger to
such criteria. Technicians must also obtain Technical Excellence
– a standing Travis has held more than once.
Travis began his career with Toyota 37 years ago at the
Colorado Springs location and has remained a proud member
of the Group since its acquisition of the dealership in 1988. “I
am honored to receive this award,” said Travis. “Along with
my fellow employees, we are committed to providing a quality
service experience to all of our customers.”
As Travis suggests, prerequisites to taking home this honor don’t
stop with the technicians. In addition to the already strenuous
personal requirements, the dealership itself must also achieve
the standards of Toyota’s Service Management Excellence
award. Cracking this barrier takes dedication and deliverable
results from practically every single member on the team, but
Liberty Toyota strives for this type of quality on a regular basis,
proudly displaying the prize for five of the last six years.
“The Assembly has also recently changed the parameters for
what a person needs to do to be considered for eligibility,” said
Steve Klemeneic,
service manager at
Liberty Toyota. “We
first had to qualify
as an ‘elite eight’
dealership, meaning
we had to place in the
top eight out of the 71
in our region.”
Steve Travis (left) in 2013
receiving his 25-year service
award from Larry H. Miller Liberty
Toyota Colorado Springs General
Manager Todd Hilleboe.
Local Colorado Springs automotive technician Steve Travis has been named
to the Toyota 2014 Assembly of Champions, the only technician in the United
States to receive this honor. Steve will represent the U.S. at the Toyota International Service Champions’ Assembly in Nagoya, Japan in October 2015
It was a challenge accepted and met. And when you consider
that Liberty Toyota is home to 33 of its own technicians, Travis’
accomplishment seems just that much more momentous.
During his trip to Nagoya, Toyota provides Travis an
opportunity to learn firsthand the history of the company as
well as an introduction to new ground-level technologies that
his stateside colleagues might not see for years.
“Steve exemplifies the standards of Larry H. Miller Dealerships,”
said Todd Hilleboe, general manager at Larry H. Miller Liberty
Toyota. “His dedication to his profession and this honor he has
received makes all of us at this dealership very proud.”
Klemeneic agrees wholeheartedly and insists that having staff
like Travis ensures quality technicians for years to come, noting
the several trade school graduates who call the dealership to
inquire about apprenticing with Travis personally. “A lot of
young people out there are looking for mentorship like that. It
makes a monstrous difference,” said Klemeneic.
Do you know an employee or a story which exemplifies the LHM
Winning Spirit? Tell us all about it at [email protected].