Isuzu Celebrates Isuzu’s Best in “Week of Weeks” Competitions

Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, Inc., distributor of America’s best-selling low cab forward trucks, has announced the winners of its 2022 National Sales Walkaround, National Service Walkaround, National Parts Salesperson Product Presentation and North America I-1 Grand Prix Technical competitions. The finals of all four contests took place at Isuzu’s Center of Excellence in Pittston, Pennsylvania, between August 8 and 11, marking the first time the company held all four competitions at the same time.

In addition, parts department and service department managers from dealerships in the company’s Northern Region attended a simultaneous meeting where they learned best strategies for meeting the current challenges in the medium-duty truck industry.

The overall event was named “Isuzu’s Week of Weeks.”

“Isuzu’s Week of Weeks is really a celebration of the best our dealerships have to offer,” said Shaun C. Skinner, president of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America and Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada. “We are celebrating the service technicians with the best diagnostic and repair skills … the service advisors with the best customer communication skills … the parts representatives with the best Isuzu Genuine and FleetValue Parts selling skills … the sales consultants with the best ability to communicate product knowledge … and the parts and service department managers in the Northeast with the best ideas to meet current challenges.”

Here are the results of the competition portions of Isuzu’s Week of Weeks.

2022 Isuzu National Sales Walkaround Competition

The Isuzu National Sales Walkaround Competition required contestants to present a 2022i Isuzu NRR to a fictitious “customer” who had never owned an Isuzu or a low cab forward truck. The participants had won their dealership, district and regional contests to earn the right to compete at the National Finals.

National Champion (winner of $5,000 in cash and the Isuzu Winners’ Circle Gold trip to the Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos in February 2023)
Southern Regional Champion
JOSH SAULS
TranSource Isuzu Truck
Colfax, North Carolina

Second Place ($3,000 in cash and the Isuzu Winners’ Circle Silver trip to the Westin New Orleans in March 2023)
Northern Regional Champion
BEN BALGAARD
D & K Isuzu Trucks
Lansing, Michigan

Third Place ($2,000 in cash and $1,500 in merchandise)
Central Regional Champion
JAZMINE KEITH
Boyer Isuzu Truck
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Finalists (listed alphabetically by last name, each the winner of $1,000 in cash and $1,000 in merchandise)
Western Regional Champion
VICTOR KIM
Rush Isuzu Truck–Whittier
Whittier, California

Isuzu Commercial Truck of Canada Champion
ANGUS SMITH
Warner Isuzu Truck Sales
Regina, Saskatchewan

Nearly two hundred Isuzu dealership sales consultants from the U.S. and Canada entered the contest, about a 27 percent increase over 2021.

2022 Isuzu National Service Walkaround Competition

A fictitious customer who admittedly knew little about his truck, a 2016 Isuzu N-Series Diesel, faced all four of the service advisors in the 2022 Isuzu National Service Walkaround Competition. The four Regional Champions had only ten minutes to present the repairs that would best suit the customer’s needs. The results:

National Champion ($5,000 in cash and Winners’ Circle trip to Los Cabos)
Central Regional Champion
COREY HECK
Truck Center Companies Isuzu–Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska

Second Place ($3,000 in cash and Winners’ Circle Silver trip to New Orleans)
Northern Regional Champion
JOHN PENCE
Hare Isuzu Truck
Noblesville, Indiana

Third Place ($2,000 in cash and $1,500 in merchandise)
Western Regional Champion
AMERICA SOLARES
Rush Isuzu Truck–Fontana
Fontana, California

Finalist ($1,000 in cash and $1,000 in merchandise)
Southern Regional Champion
SASKYA LOPEZ
TruckMax Isuzu
Homestead, Florida

 2022 Isuzu National Parts Salesperson Product Presentation Competition

Among the features of the 30,000-square-foot Isuzu Center of Excellence training facility is a replica of a dealership parts counter. It was here that the four Regional Champions in the National Parts Salesperson Product Presentation Competition encountered their fictitious customer. The results:

National Champion ($5,000 in cash and Winners’ Circle trip to Los Cabos)
Northern Regional Champion
JOHNNY TEATER
Hare Isuzu Truck
Noblesville, Indiana

Second Place ($3,000 in cash and Winners’ Circle Silver trip to New Orleans)
Western Regional Champion
SAL CANALES
Monarch Isuzu Truck
San Jose, California

Third Place ($2,000 in cash and $1,500 in merchandise)
Central Regional Champion
MICHAEL BROWN
Coffman Isuzu Truck
Aurora, Illinois

Finalist ($1,000 in cash and $1,000 in merchandise)
Southern Regional Champion
NATHAN BRINKLEY
Truck Enterprises Isuzu–Chesapeake
Chesapeake, Virginia

This year marked the second annual National Parts Salesperson Product Presentation Competition, making it the newest of the Isuzu skills and communication contests.

2022 Isuzu North America I-1 Grand Prix Technical Competition

Perhaps the most grueling of all the “Week of Weeks” competitions, the I-1 Grand Prix for service technicians required entrants to pass in a single try a challenging 75-minute entrance exam; only the twelve technicians with the highest scores were invited to enroll and participate in the competition held this week.

After three rounds of competition diagnosing and repairing trucks, the results are:

First Place (Winners’ Circle Gold trip to Los Cabos; Isuzu Diagnostic Service System interface device with one-year IDSS subscription; invitation to participate in 2023 North America I-1 Grand Prix)
ANTHONY PARRILLI
Chicago Isuzu Truck
Summit, Illinois

Second Place (Trip to Los Cabos; IDSS interface device with one-year subscription; invitation to participate in 2023 North America I-1 Grand Prix)
CANDIDO DELEON
Rush Isuzu Truck Center–Dayton
Dayton, Ohio

Third Place ($1,500 in merchandise and IDSS interface device with one-year subscription)
JAMES BUECHNER
PTR Isuzu Truck Center
West Chicago, Illinois

Fourth Place ($1,500 in merchandise and IDSS interface device with one-year subscription)
RICHARD NONAMAKER
Rush Isuzu Truck–Waco
Robinson, Texas

Finalists (listed alphabetically by last name, each the winner of $150 in cash on their Winners’ Circle prepaid debit cards)

JASON BABCOCK
Bob Clapper Isuzu Truck
Janesville, Wisconsin

SCOTT BODALL
All American Isuzu Truck
Old Bridge, New Jersey

JESSE DUBECK
TruckSmart Isuzu Truck
Morrisville, Pennsylvania

LAZARO GARCIA
Nextran Isuzu Truck Center–Miami
Miami, Florida

DANIEL KIELTYKA
Beyer Bros. Isuzu Truck
Fairview, New Jersey

THOMAS McBRIDE
Isuzu Truck of Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina

BILL NIELDS
Faulkner Isuzu Truck
West Chester, Pennsylvania

 CRAIG WIRE
Rush Truck Center–Elk Grove
Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Hundreds of viewers at dealerships and homes around the country viewed the awards ceremony via live stream, a first for any of the contests’ awards programs.

For more information about Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc. call 866-441-9638 or visit www.isuzucv.com.