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Michael Waites, an auto glass repair technician with Glass Doctor in Andalusia, won the Gold Medal in the GlasWeld Windshield Repair Competition, during Auto Glass Week™ 2024, held Sept. 19-21 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Waites was one of four finalists in the competition and took home a $5,000 gold prize award, a gleaming medal, the winning trophy, and bragging rights as the industry’s best windshield repair technician.

Auto Glass Week™ is the only event that offers the original equipment (OE) and aftermarket auto glass repair and replacement industry the opportunity to learn from peers and industry experts. The GlasWeld Windshield Repair Competition is designed to recognize the technician who performs the best windshield repair. The areas judged include professional attire, greeting the client, technical behavior, preparation of the vehicle, proper use of tools and products, quality of the repair technique and appearance of the complete repair, post-repair and customer procedures, in-depth knowledge and Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard (ROLAGS®) proficiency.

Waites has competed 4 times in this competition, culminating in his Gold Medal win in 2024. The highly competitive, three-day event includes a series of heats leading into the final competition. Each competitor repaired a complex break on a car’s front windshield in accordance with the industry’s ROLAGS®.

“Being in a small town, I run across a lot of the vehicles I do again. So, getting it installed right the first time makes it a lot easier for me the next time, and I can have peace of mind that it will be a safe installation for my customer,” said Waites when asked what he is most proud of in his career.

Waites’ passion emanates from the moment anyone meets him. “Michael is always eager to help because he wants to see things done correctly. You can hear the fervency in his voice when he talks about the industry and when you watch him perform in the competitions,” said Auto Glass Week Competition Coordinator, Sarah Bauder.