Austin Matney, equipment mechanic II for the City of Ventura in Calif., is the second annual winner of the Best Young Tech Award, presented by Motor Age and PTEN. The award honors technicians aged 35 or younger who are moving the service repair industry forward, excel in their current role, and are passionate about their work.
"He is a smart, methodical technician who takes his time to ensure his maintenance and repairs are completed properly," says Frank Palmer, fleet services supervisor. "Austin is chosen over more senior technicians to complete complex repairs because of his impressive computer diagnostic skills, technical prowess, and his positive can-do attitude."
Matney accepted the award on Tuesday at the AAPEX Show in Las Vegas. As the winner, he received a paid round-trip flight to the show, lodging for two nights, admission to AAPEX 2022, a trip for two to Vision 2023 and a one-year subscription to the Virtual Training Academy from Carquest Technical Institute and WorldPac Training Institute, and an Autel MaxiSYS MS906TS scan tool.
"Since I was born, my dad has always instilled a good work ethic in me," Matney says. "Whether it was sports, or school, or any other aspect in life, just giving it 100 percent all the time, and even if things get tough, or you face some adversity, just keep pushing through.”
Read the full-length article on Matney's journey as a technician and why he is the deserving winner of the 2022 Best Young Tech Award.
Are you a young tech? Check out our resources for you!
