World Class Wednesday: From tinkering to top of the class

Earning the title of Automotive Service Excellence World Class Technician is no small accomplishment. To be recognized as World Class, these individuals have obtained ASE certification in 22 specialty areas: A1-A8 (automotive), T1-T8 (medium/heavy truck), B2-B5 (collision repair), and L1-L2 (advanced).  

Not only is achieving certification in these areas impressive, but becoming World Class is no small feat. As of 2025, only 2,000 technicians have achieved World Class status. 

In this Q&A, Motor Age sat down with Johnathan Bemis — an ASE World Class technician and lead at VIP Tires & Service in Bangor, Maine — to learn more about his journey in the automotive industry and how gaining World Class status has helped advance his career. 

Motor Age: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your experience in the automotive industry.  

Jon Bemis: I graduated in 2012 from Eastern Maine Community College with an associate’s degree in applied technology. I have been a technician professional since about 2012. Before that, I did a little tinkering in my yard, but not much more than that. I achieved World Class status last July at the age of 44. 

Motor Age: What's the most memorable repair you've ever completed?   

Bemis: I don't hold on to a lot of them, just because my brain doesn’t function like that. I hold on to the ones that give me knowledge, so to speak.  

But anyway, my most memorable repair was early in my professional career. I was working at a different shop. I was young in my career, and the customer went to multiple shops in the area, and nobody was able to figure it out. The customer's concern was that the car would randomly stall in traffic, and then after a few minutes, it would start back up and drive normally. 

I messed around with it for a little bit at the shop, and nothing, so I took the customer out for a drive so I could watch the scan tool. It took a little while, but the car finally died, and the scan tool did its thing, and I found that every time it died, the mass airflow center would go full, and it was basically forcing the engine to go full fuel, and it was flooding.  

So, we got it back to the shop and fixed it. That repair sticks with me because it gave me a good idea of what I should be doing in the future to make sure I cross all my T’s. 

Motor Age: Tell us one thing about you that we can't guess from your certifications.  

Bemis: I have a charity for kids called Bicycles for Kids. We collect and refurbish older bicycles to give to children across Maine. If anyone wants to get in touch and help, we have a Facebook page called Bicycles for Kids, and we have a GoFundMe if they want to donate.  

Motor Age: What automotive technology trend are you most excited about/ most concerned about?     

Bemis: I’m concerned about EV. I don't think EV is the only answer to all our issues with the automotive industry. I think it's maybe one of the answers.  

I live in Bangor, Maine. If I go north, it's two and a half hours and about 130 miles to the next place you could charge a car. Above that, it's another three hours to the border, and there’s nothing up there. So, it's concerning where they're trying to kind of shove EVS and make them mandatory.  

I’m excited about hydrogen technology. I think it's going to be interesting, and I think it's part of the answer. That is, if they can make it work without causing Hindenburg, that seems deep in development right now, but I know Honda made it work in California for a little while. So that seems to be an exciting development. I think that's going to be part of the answer to some of the issues we face. 

Motor Age: How has ASE certification helped advance your career?  

Bemis: When I became World Class that came with raises and a bonus and stuff like that. It has also helped with my career by helping me become a lead master tech and run the shop side of this business.