For Mario Saenz, pursuing a career in the automotive industry was a no-brainer. The youngest of six, he credits his family as his main driving force. “I’ve been around cars all my life,” said Saenz. “My dad has an auto dealership. One of my older brothers is a mechanic who currently runs his own shop, and one of my other brothers is a diesel mechanic who works on heavier industrial equipment. They’ve been a huge influence in my life and with my career choice.” Despite such influences, he knew he didn’t want to follow the exact route or path his father and brothers had taken. “I decided to pursue something different and go into auto collision repair.”

Hired right out of high school, Saenz joined Penske in May 2023 as a Body Shop Tech III in Kersey, Colorado. His decision to pursue collision repair is already paying off. As a full-time student at Aims Community College in Greeley, Saenz competed in the Collision Repair Technology competition at this year’s SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta. He placedsecond overall out of 30-plus students from around the U.S.

His instructor at Aims saw potential in him as a high school senior and first encouraged him to enter the state SkillsUSA competition for Collision Estimation. “I did well but ended up placing second, so I didn’t get to go to nationals last year,” said Saenz. “This year, I was really second-guessing it. I wasn’t confident in myself. And my instructor convinced me once again, this time for Collision Repair Technology. I ended up competing and placing first in the Colorado state competition against 20-plus technicians and then placed secondoverall at nationals.”

SkillsUSA Collision Competition

For students to qualify for nationals, they must place first in their state competition. The state-level competitions entail everything from written exams demonstrating technical knowledge to actual jobs one can physically perform. A mix of tests are given where students must identify and go through various processes, including utilization of tablets containing a database of procedural information on how to restore numerous vehicles. Competitors must sort through the database and determine if and what repairs can be done, and which steps need to be taken. Additional tests assess welding proficiency, structural analysis, and the student’s ability to repair various plastics and metals.

Saenz attributes much of his early success to his experiences working for Penske over the last year. “I joined the refinishing program at Aims when I was a junior in high school. During that time, I learned how to work on the topcoats of vehicles. I was able to join Penske because I had my refinishing certificate. After being hired, I was learning how to do different repairs and replacements, so I was practicing those things every day. Penske has shown me a lot.” Saenz also says that learning how to do specialized tasks through Penske, including box truck repairs and working with different materials, has been advantageous because those specific types of hands-on experiences aren’t taught at school.

The guidance Saenz has received at the shop has been invaluable. “There’s a lot of new material we work with at Penske,” said Saenz. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have a ton of support not only from other techs, but also from my supervisors with learning how to work with everything. It’s very different from being in a classroom. You also get support from the trainers that visit and teach us new procedures, making sure we’re up to date on our training. And the mechanics on the other side of the shop are always kind enough to help and show me how to do certain things when mechanical repairs are needed. I’ve certainly learned a lot.”

His long-term plans include becoming a Tech I or Supervisor in the collision industry and managing or opening his own collision repair shop. “I’m always looking to grow and advance myself in this field as much as possible,” said Saenz. In the meantime, he’ll be completing his associate degree in Automotive Collision Repair Technology this December and plans to continue his education afterward. When asked if he intends to participate in SkillsUSA again next year, Saenz said, “I am definitely looking to compete again and trying to win gold. I’ve got one more shot.”

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By: "Move Ahead" Staff