Shelton, WA
2021 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year
Scott Slama, a valued employee in the NAPA system for the past 10 years is the 2021 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year and the 22nd individual to receive this honor. Scott is the manager in Brooklyn, Ohio, at the Chagrin Valley Auto Parts Company owned by Pete Sugarman. His experience in the automotive field began in 1985 as a high school student when he took a job as a part-time counter person. Just four years later Scott was promoted to store manager. He adapted to several ownership and brand changes over the years, joining the NAPA family in 2010.
Scott came on board as an assistant manager with Chagrin Valley Auto Parts, a 10-store NAPA group in northeast Ohio. He was promoted to store manager of the Brooklyn location in 2011. Scott continues to thrive in his management position and is driven by providing outstanding customer service. With a “never say no" attitude, he is well respected and trusted by his customers.
Scott is a true believer in the importance of maintaining his ASE certification. He is P1 &P2 certified, keeping his skills sharp in the areas of medium/heavy truck parts as well as automobile parts. He drives his employees to be their best by challenging them to take part in training. There is no better advocate of NAPA Autotech training than Scott. He stresses the importance of training for his customers so they can grow their business, become more efficient, and keep pace with the changes in automotive systems and technology. He even attends the technical training himself knowing it will help him serve his customers even better.
Known affectionately as a gearhead, Scott enjoys restoring Mustangs and he's a regular at the Brunswick Laurel Square car show. Both Scott and his wife Anne are passionate about adopting rescue dogs. The couple is also active with the annual Kidney Foundation of Ohio's Harvest Walk &5K event. Scott exemplifies what it means to be a true parts professional.
Shelton, WA
2020 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year
Charles began his automotive education by attending Motech Chrysler Factory School in Livonia, MI where he studied Automotive Technology. Charles continued to work and grow his knowledge through 40 years in the automotive industry by working as a master technician, shop foreman, and service manager. He implemented programs such as AAA Certification and California vehicle safety inspections for CAARS Automotive in San Juan Capistrano, CA. He also excelled at expanding his knowledge by logging successful completions of over 1,300 training modules and classroom training sessions in the NAPA system. He wears his ASE badges with pride, realizing his training accomplishments enhance the service he provides to his NAPA customers.
Charles’ many accomplishments over the years made him a standout among his peers:
Charles works hard to help build the NAPA store’s business while strengthening how it’s represented in the community. Many of the NAPA store customers in Shelton are Spanish speaking, as the community is largely agricultural. Charles, who spent many years in South American countries as a young man, took it upon himself to learn Spanish to better serve his Spanish-speaking customers.
Through his community involvement, Charles represents NAPA in a positive way. He proctors over KNOW HOW TO ASK programs which help customers determine the correct parts to fulfill their needs; he assists community members in his market that may not be able to financially afford repairs. And, if that’s not enough, Charles finds time to support the community as a Volunteer Firefighter. He enjoys what he does and is a positive member to the NAPA team.
NAPA Midtown Auto Parts
Punxsutawney, PA
2019 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year
Dee Dee Moore is the recipient of the 2019 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year Award. She began her NAPA Career in 1999 when she joined the NAPA Midtown Auto Parts in Punxsutawney, PA.
Dee Dee started by working part time at the store while raising her two young sons. She transitioned to full time in 2004 working at the counter and serving the customers. Throughout her career she has demonstrated a dedication to learning. She has completed over 100 online courses, attended supplier and NAPA Autotech classes and achieved the ASE P2 certification. In 2009, Dee Dee was promoted to Store Manager and just recently she took advantage of NAPA’s Growth Capital program to purchase the NAPA Punxsutawney store with NAPA Five Star now in her sights.
She is no stranger to dedication and accomplishment in her personal life as well as in our industry. After graduating high school, she joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and served 22 years achieving several awards and commendations reaching the rank of Sergeant in the 128th Brigade Support Battalion. During her service, she also managed to attend and graduate from DuBois Business College with a degree in accounting and business administration.
Dee Dee and her whole team are also very active in the community being active in Relay for Life, Footprints for Hope, and Hoops for Hope, three organizations raising money for cancer research.
As you can see, Dee Dee Moore is an outstanding woman who clearly has achieved high marks for her service to our country and high accomplishment within NAPA and her community.
New Canaan, CT
2018 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year
RJ is a parts specialist in the NAPA New Canaan, CT store, owned by his father Rich Marra, Sr. While in high school, he worked at his father’s shop and then at Lostocco Auto Parts in Stamford. After graduating from Ridgefield High School, he attended Western Connecticut State University. In 2008, RJ joined his father’s store full time putting his knowledge and experience to work serving NAPA customers. RJ understands the importance of keeping his knowledge, skills and ASE certification current. He is ASE certified as an Automobile Parts Specialist (P2), achieving this designation in 2015. RJ has completed 461 eLearning and classroom courses since 2014 on NAPAtraining and he helped bring NAPA Autotech classes to the New Canaan area. RJ has incredible knowledge of automotive technology, auto and truck parts, accessories, tools and equipment. RJ is actively involved in his community, volunteering for Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue (ROAR), a facility which assists with care and placement of unwanted and displaced animals. He is a Head Coach and Assistant Coach for several youth sports teams (Little League baseball and Ridgefield Basketball Association teams) in his hometown of Ridgefield. All of RJ’s accomplishments, his commitment and dedication to servicing his customers while utilizing his knowledge and skills are key to winning this award.
New Ulm, MN
2017 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year
"Rick is a parts specialist and group trainer in the NAPA Auto & Truck Parts store in New Ulm, MN, serviced by NAPA Owatonna. He has worked there for about 7 years and is a special member of the team. Rick is ASE certified in 9 areas including Automobile Parts Specialist (P2) and he is an ASE Master certified Automotive Technician (A1 – A8). He has an incredible knowledge of automotive technology, auto and truck parts, accessories, tools and equipment. He has kept his knowledge and skills current over the years by completing numerous NAPA Autotech, NAPA Training and supplier courses. He also has over 150 hours of General Motors training. Rick is an automotive aftermarket veteran and started his career in the business shadowing his dad. Throughout high school he worked at a repair shop and earned an Associate Degree in Automotive Mechanics. He worked as a technician at several dealerships before joining the STAR Group in 2010. Rick stays involved in his community where he volunteered for 16 years on the New Ulm Police Reserve Unit and now teaches automotive technology to vocational and high school students. These things, among many others, are the key to his winning the 2017 NAPA/ASE Parts Specialist of the Year award."
Being the Parts Specialist of the Year is not just about the ASE Certifications that an individual possesses, it’s about commitment and leadership to our industry and to NAPA and continued training beyond ASE. It’s about hard work and doing the things others can’t or won’t do. Finally, it’s about community involvement and the work you do outside of the business.
A panel of impartial judges will select the winner. Entrants will be judged on:
Anyone is welcome to nominate a Parts Specialist they feel is deserving. We are accepting multiple nominations per NAPA Distribution Center. To enter, click Nominate Now and complete all six tabs of the Nomination information. It will allow you to save throughout the process and return at a later time to input additional information. Once all fields are completed, the Submit button will turn Green and you can make your nomination.
