Hangin’ withCurtisHooperBest of Belron US Champion GearsUp for International Competitionby Penny StaceyWhen Curtis Hooper of FernandinaBeach, Fla., traveledto Columbus, Ohio, inJanuary for the Best of Belron’s UnitedStates competition, his goal was tofinish in the top five of the 11 contestantspresent.“But I won,” the first-place championin the competition says humbly.Now, Hooper is packing his bags foranother competition, the internationalBest of Belron competition inMay. The competition, which drawscompetitors from regional and nationalcompetitions around the world,will be held in Nuneaton, UnitedKingdom, May 14-15.“If you wereto watch thecontestantsperform, prettymuch the guysyou expected towin did. Most ofthe guys whocompeted but didnot win vowedthat they’ll beback next time.”—Glen Moses,Safelite/Belron USHooper, who has been in the autoglass industry for approximately 20years, advanced to the national competitionafter taking first-place in hisregion’s competition in Charlotte,N.C. This is his second stint with Safelite/BelronUS. He worked for thecompany in the early 1990s before returningthree years ago.“The benefits are great and thecompany’s great—and you get achance [at events like this one] toshow what you can do,” he says.To pick its contestants from around38 <strong>AGRR</strong> <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2008</strong> www.agrrmag.com
the country, Belron US first selectedtechnicians to take an online test bylooking at their warranty and customersatisfaction rates. Once they were selectedfor having high rates of both,they took an online test, and the highestscorers went to regional competitions.Six of these were held throughout theUnited States, and the top two winnersfrom each competition went to Columbus.(One of these was unable to attenddue to a family emergency, leaving thecompetition with 11 contestants.)The national competition consistedof another online test, a windshield repair,a sidelite replacement and awindshield replacement, along with acustomer service interaction portion.“Apparently I did the best, but fromwhat I understand, it was very close,”Hooper says.And how does Hooper feel aboutheading to the internationalcompetition?“I think that’s going to be really intense,”he says. “You go up against 11other guys that are the best in theUnited States, but now you’re goingup against 25 that are the best in theworld … You’re talking some of thebest guys in the world to [handle]auto glass. To have an opportunity tocompete in something like that [isHooper took home $5,000 from the U.S. competition.something] I never thought wouldhappen to me.”Hooper took home $5,000 and atrophy from the competition; the winnerin the United Kingdom competitionwill take home a full-year’s salaryof $40,000.Brad Wilmoth, a technician fromGrand Rapids, Mich., took second,and also will travel to the Best of Belronin May; he was awarded $2,000;Shawn Britt of Williamsburg, Va., tookhome third-place and $1,000.The EventWhile Hooper, Wilmoth and Britteventually emerged as victorious, GlenMoses, technical quality manager forSafelite, says the competition wasclose.“Partway through the day after thecontestants had done the online quiz,customer service interaction andwindshield repair, there were only fivepoints separating the number-onecontestant from the number-elevencontest,” he says. “It was close.”Judging was based on a list of about200 yes-or-no questions that Mosesdeveloped.There were 22 total judges, two foreach vehicle. The cars used in thecompetition were <strong>2008</strong> Nissan Altimasand the questions used were developedspecifically for this vehicle.Moses said in developing the competition—whichthe company onlyhad a few months to do since it waspurchased by Belron just last <strong>March</strong>—his main goals were to make it funand fair.“From all the feedback I got, thosegoals were met,” he says. “People hada lot of fun and thought it was fair … Ifyou were to watch the contestantsperform, pretty much the guys youexpected to win did. Most of the guyswho competed but did not win vowedthat they’d be back next time.” ■Hooper, shown here, is an avid surfer during his time off the job.www.agrrmag.com <strong>March</strong>/<strong>April</strong> <strong>2008</strong> <strong>AGRR</strong> 39◗Penny Stacey is the editor of <strong>AGRR</strong>magazine.
Change language