2024 Conference Instructors

Mark Howell began working on repairing appliances at his mother's business at the age of twelve which led him to study refrigeration and AC at Whirlpool Tech. Later on in his life, Mark obtained a CDL A to help the family business save on costs. After spending some time as a road driver he moved to logistics management. After spending time in logistics management Mark began his own trucking business but due to rising costs, he realized it was not sustainable at the time. This led Mark to become a Diesel Tech where his focus was on repairing  D12 and D13 engines, Cummins 12- and 15-liter CNG engines, and Eaton manual, and Automatic transmissions. Volvo I-shift transmissions. Aftertreatment systems for both Volvo and Cummins. Clutches and drivelines. Chassis repairs, brakes, Turbos, EGR’s and EGR Coolers. Electrical systems diagnostics. Trailers with Air over Hydraulic lift systems. Iis not only one of the best heavy-duty instructors in the business he is also a fan of automotive restorations. He has restored a 1969 Camaro and a 1966 British Ferret tank. As Mark continued to hone his skills he became the Northeast Regional Expert Trainer for PMI methods. This position involved ensuring Techs followed specific procedures in a specific order and in a specified time frame as well as teaching new techs the methods of proper preventative maintenance for tractors and trailers. 

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Karl Schneider brings to the table over 3 decades of experience as a technician and shop owner in the automotive sector. He holds multiple certifications, including ASE Automotive Master L1, L2 truck specialist, and others, reflecting his in-depth understanding of the industry. Karl is also a graduate of the Automotive Accredited Manager (AAM) program and holds certifications as a Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC’s) and Tire Industry Association (TIA) instructor. In 2012, Karl joined Robert Bosch LLC as a Senior Training Instructor, with a primary focus on diesel systems. He has meticulously studied Bosch diesel rebuilding procedures, equipping him to offer training on various diesel components.

Jerry Stewart is the curriculum administrator for AVI. He is an ASE Master certified automotive technician with L1, L3, G1, C1, and A9 certifications. Jerry is also an ATRA-certified transmission builder and an AERA-certified engine machinist. Jerry has worked in the automotive field for 40 years. He has been a shop owner for 17 years, a national trainer for 20 years, and a curriculum developer since 2003. Jerry has served as an automotive college instructor for the University of Montana since 2011. Jerry has developed a curriculum for the automotive industry that includes advanced drivability, Diesel technology, Powertrain technology, and Hybrid and EV programs. He has developed over 100 classes for the automotive industry. Jerry’s classes have won the ATMC award four times. The ATMC annually recognizes outstanding or innovative training programs. When Jerry isn’t training or developing curriculum he enjoys riding horses in the Montana mountains.

Technician, shop owner, author, photographer, lover of classic cars…these are some of the words used to describe Vic Tarasik. His career began in Western NY pumping gas, wrenching on, and racing muscle cars. In 1987 Vic opened a shop in his home garage and grew it to a fourteen-bay automotive maintenance and repair facility located in The Woodlands, Texas. After nearly 30 years of successful operation, Vic sold his shop to pursue the next stage of his career. Training and coaching other shop owners to achieve their dreams has been a passion of Vic’s even when he was running his own shop. Every shop owner will have a different dream, it could be spending time with family, traveling, or giving back to others; you never know what an individual’s dream might be. Tarasik’s desire is to help shop owners achieve what he has…success today that translates to life after the shop. What Shop Owner Coach focuses on is the core of the shop, which is the owner. Developing and implementing a repair shop’s best practices, leadership development of the owner, and life after the shop. Vic says that everyone deserves to achieve their dreams and that is what Shop Owner Coach is here for, to help each shop owner to identify and achieve their dreams.

Dave’s auto career began over 45 years ago in his family’s auto electric business in Kokomo Indiana.  15 years later he moved into the OEM world (General Motors) with roles as a technical hotline advisor, field engineer and electronics systems instructor for engineers at GM Delco Electronics. Dave’s ASE master certified with L1 (Advanced Engine Performance) and L3 (Hybrid/Electric Vehicles) specialist certifications and has worked on several ASE test writing committees for hybrids and EVs. Dave is also a contributor to several trade magazines, an instructor in numerous training videos and has been an adjunct instructor at several Ivy Tech Community College campuses (Indiana).  After 4 ½ decades of keeping up with changes in technologies, Dave knows the only ‘constant’ in the world of automotive service is ‘change’!

Details coming soon

Details coming soon