Motor Age and PTEN are committed to supporting young technicians in the automotive aftermarket and we want to shine a spotlight on those who are paving a successful path in the industry. This is part of a monthly series to showcase the best young talent in our industry.
Dantley Edgren is a finalist in the first annual PTEN and Motor Age Best Young Tech Award, a program that recognizes innovation, dedication, and excellence in the industry’s technicians aged 35 and younger.
Edgren’s love for cars dates back to his childhood. He doesn’t know exactly why, as none of his family worked in the vehicle repair industry growing up, but he was always fascinated with cars. While working as a technician for an auto repair shop in college, he discovered his love for auto body work.
Today, the 21-year-old works for Turner Body Shop in Nebraska. Edgren graduated in May 2021 from Southeast Community College.
Edgren sat down with PTEN and Motor Age magazines to talk about his career path, his toolbox, and share some anecdotes.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career?
"One of my mentors here at Turner, Jeff Pearson, tells me on occasion to, “Just persevere.” I think about that a lot when I feel stressed out. When I’m stressed, I get down on myself and down on my abilities sometimes, and so when I hear that word, “persevere,” I’m able to push through my struggles.
What is your dream car?
“My dream car is a '69 Corvette Stingray.”
What is the most random item in your toolbox?
“A bottle opener. It’s a standard-size bottle opener. I don’t use it to work on vehicles or anything. It’s randomly in my toolbox, and I have no idea where it came from.”
What is your favorite tool and why?
“My favorite tool would have to be my Milwaukee ¼” impact. I use it constantly all day, every day for every repair.”
What are your career aspirations?
“My main goal is to be well known by everybody in my community for doing honest and good work. I want to be the guy if you get into an accident, I’m the guy you think of to come get your car fixed.”
How did you first become interested in the automotive industry?
“Growing up, I was always fascinated by cars. According to my parents, the first word I ever spoke was “Cars,” and I would notice cars ever since I could remember. I don’t know where it came from. When I was young, I loved dually pickups. I don’t know why because I’m not into them much anymore, but when I was four years old, that was my favorite type of car. I had a toy dually pickup I would play with, along with a variety of other types of vehicles.”
Tell us how you got your first job in the industry.
“I was working at a Dannull Engine Service in college, and they asked me if I wanted to still work there because somebody more experienced was interested in coming in, and I told them I was more interested in auto body, so my boss told me he was good friends with Turner, so he said he would put in a good word for me. I interviewed, got offered the position, accepted the role, and I’m still there today, and I knew since day one this is what I wanted to do.”
What is the most challenging or memorable repair you’ve worked on?
“I did a vehicle that got into a fender bender with a semi. The vehicle wasn’t totaled, but it was a brand-new car, but I ended up replacing part of the front end and putting a new quarter panel on it, and that was a challenge all the way around. It was a big job. It was a little overwhelming for me since it was such a big job, and I’m only 21. I haven’t been doing this for long. It turned out good in the end, but this one took a while. Usually, a lot of cars are in and out in a week. This one was there for probably about five weeks.”
If you weren’t in the automotive industry, what would you be doing?
“I’ve known for middle school I would be doing something with cars, so if I couldn’t work with cars, I would probably be a contractor because my dad built houses for a living.”
