Author: V8 Staff

We are excited to announce the winners of the 2023 V8 Speed and Resto Shop Appreciation Awards of Recognition!

These awards are our way of saying thank you to the incredible Team members who make our organization, culture, and cars the best they can be.

This year, we are honoring five Team members who have gone above and beyond to contribute to our success. These Team members are:

• Amber Lazenby – Administrative Assistant in Administration – Awarded the Gigi Carleton “Visionary Vanguard” Award, In Appreciation for Protecting Our Team’s Long-Term Success
• Mike Bess – Parts Restoration Technician – Awarded the Vic Edelbrock Sr. “Excellence in Mentorship” Award, In Appreciation of Developing and Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders
• Brian Wibbenmeyer – Parts Manager in Administration – Awarded the Eugene Kranz  “Tough And Competent” Award, In Appreciation for High Aspirations, Positive Attitude, and Winning Desire
• John Blandford – Facilities Tech – Awarded the Louie Melching “Make It Happen” Award, In Appreciation for Recognizing Opportunity, Persistence, and Personal Growth
• Phillip Baldwin – Director of Parts Movement and Storage – Awarded the 2023 V8 Speed and Resto Shop MVP, Peer-Selected and Recognized for Exceeding Expectations, Quality Work, A Great Attitude, and Helping Our Team

These Team members are all dedicated, hardworking, and passionate about their work. They are always willing to go the extra mile to help their colleagues and customers. They are an essential part of our Team, and we are so grateful for their contributions.

Here are a few of the reasons why these Team members were chosen:

• Commitment to excellence: These Team members are all committed to providing the highest quality of service possible. They are always looking for ways to improve their skills and knowledge, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done right.
• Teamwork: These Team members are all great Team players. They are always willing to help out their colleagues, and they are always looking for ways to collaborate to achieve common goals.
• Customer service: These Team members are all committed to providing excellent customer service. They are always friendly, helpful, and professional, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to make sure that our customers are satisfied.
• Positive attitude: These Team members all have a positive attitude. They are always upbeat and enthusiastic, and they always see the best in people. They are a pleasure to work with, and they make our workplace a more positive and enjoyable environment.

We are proud to honor these five Team members with our Appreciation Awards of Recognition. They are an inspiration to us all, and we are confident that they will continue to do great work for many years to come.

Congratulations to the winners!

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our Team members for their hard work and dedication. We are so grateful to have such talented and passionate people in our organization.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

Gigi Carleton “Visionary Vanguard” Award, In Appreciation for Protecting Our Team’s Long-Term Success

Gigi Carleton, for more than 40 years, worked at Petersen Publishing Company as Margie and Robert E. Petersen’s executive secretary and personal manager.  She started there as a temp, working on organizational details for the Motor Trend 500 stock car race, sponsored by Petersen Publishing, at Riverside International Raceway each year.  She was then hired by the Petersens as their full time “right arm” in the administration of all executive aspects of the business and many of their personal and philanthropic activities.  Post the Petersens’ passing, she is now president of the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation, and was lifelong friends with the Petersens.  Gigi was instrumental in assembling the first SEMA Show in 1967, and continues to ensure the Petersen Museum and automotive enthusiast lifestyle lives on through her work with the Foundation.

We present this award to a V8 Speed and Resto Shop Team Member who works to ensure our future is bright and secure. 

Vic Edelbrock Sr. “Excellence in Mentorship” Award, In Appreciation of Developing and Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders

Founder of the Edelbrock Corporation, Otis Victor Edelbrock Sr. was an early days hot rodder who modified his own cars, tested products on them, then sold the parts piecemeal to an eager base of customers in Southern California. Eventually, mass production of Edelbrock manifolds and heads was inevitable and the company flourished. The Edelbrock line now includes cylinder heads, intake manifolds and pistons for many applications. And he achieved an industry first in 1958 by getting 1 horsepower per cubic inch from a 283 Chevy small-block with the new cross-ram manifold. Vic Sr. was inducted in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame as well as the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.   Although he passed in 1962, his lessons and training equipped his son Vic Edelbrock Jr. to take the helm of the Edelbrock Corporation at just 26 years old and build it into one of the most respected names in automotive performance.   

We present this award to a V8 Speed and Resto Shop Team Member who mentors younger Team Members to become their best.

Eugene Kranz  “Tough And Competent” Award, In Appreciation for High Aspirations, positive Attitude, and Winning Desire

Eugene Francis Kranz (born August 17, 1933) is an American aerospace engineer who served as NASA’s second Chief Flight Director, directing missions of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, including the first lunar landing mission, Apollo 11. He directed the successful efforts by the Mission Control Team to save the crew of Apollo 13, and was portrayed in the 1995 film of the same name by actor Ed Harris. He characteristically wore a close-cut flat top hairstyle and the dapper “mission” vests (waistcoats) of different styles and materials made by his wife, Marta Kranz, for his Flight Director missions.

He coined the phrase “tough and competent”, which became known as the “Kranz Dictum”. Kranz has been the subject of movies, documentary films, and books and periodical articles. Kranz is a recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Kranz was ranked as the #2 most popular space hero.

We present this award to a V8 Speed and Resto Shop Team Member who demonstrates not only skill and ability in challenging situations, but who understands the standards of our shop and works to exceed them.   

Louie Melching “Make It Happen” Award, In Appreciation for Recognizing Opportunity, Persistence, and Personal Growth

Robert “Louie” Melching was a generous and crafty individual who built a life of making the best of what he had to work with.    He wore many automotive business hats in his small town of Red Bud, IL, ranging from auto sales, collision repair, towing, salvage, filling station attendant, and anything else he could to keep the lights on and help his family and community.  He had owned and operated Louie’s Auto Repair in Red Bud for 58 years.  The V8 Speed and Resto Shop exists today in buildings Louie once owned, and our Team has fond recollections of Louie walking through the shop and helping us understand the how’s and why’s of the additions and improvements he made over the years.  We appreciate Louie’s positive, can-do attitude, and enjoy discovering “Louis-isms” in our buildings years after his passing.   

We present this award to a V8 Speed and Resto Shop Team Member who is able to create innovative solutions and solve problems with limited resources with a positive attitude.   

V8 Speed and Resto Shop MVP, Peer-Selected and Recognized for Exceeding Expectations, Quality Work, A Great Attitude, and Helping Our Team

The V8 Speed and Resto Shop values the contributions of its Team and recognizes their dedication through a peer-to-peer recognition program. Each Team member has the opportunity to nominate and vote for a colleague who has made significant contributions to the company, culture, and quality of cars we build – particularly those who demonstrate a positive attitude, consistently deliver high-quality work, introduce innovative ideas, and bring positive change to the organization.