AASP/NJ Treasurer Tom Elder Honored with Lee Vetland Lifetime Achievement Award

11.8.21 – During its October 20 Annual Meeting at Gran Centurions in Clark, NJ, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) conducted a special awards ceremony where the second Lee Vetland Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to AASP/NJ Treasurer Tom Elder (Compact Kars, Inc.; Clarksburg).

Named in honor of the New Jersey auto legend and past president of AASP/NJ who passed away in 2019, the Lee Vetland Lifetime Achievement Award was created to honor a member who has been in the industry for at least 30 years and has reached the age of 60.

Members of the Vetland family, including his daughter, Katie, joined AASP/NJ Past President Eddie Day (Collision Restoration; Fairfield) in presenting the award to Elder.

“Tom Elder truly represents the qualities of the Lee Vetland Lifetime Achievement Award,” Katie Vetland comments. “He is a dedicated, hardworking man who leads with integrity. My dad would be proud he was the 2021 recipient.”

Referring to Vetland as “a friend, a mentor and a giant in this industry,” Day acknowledged, “He was part of a group that were the best of the best at that time. I was proud to be his friend, and when he passed, he left a void that will probably never be filled.

“This award is being presented to a dear friend of mine for over 30 years,” Day continued. “This man has worked tirelessly for the association and has never missed a single meeting. He puts it all in every day. He’s led numerous committees, and he’s lifted the automotive industry up the best he could for the condition we’re in. He was a groundbreaking shop owner and part of that group that I admired so much. His name is Tom Elder.”

“This is just unbelievable!” Elder said. “As Eddie said, we were a fraternity of people early on; Lee brought me into that fraternity that has shaped this industry over these years, and we’ve been friends ever since. I’m happy to be here serving the industry, and I would like to stay as long as I can do it. I’m thrilled and totally surprised to receive this award. Thank you very much.”

For more information on the AASP/NJ Annual Meeting, please stay tuned for coverage in the December 2021 issue of New Jersey Automotive, which will be available at grecopublishing.com.

For more information on AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org.