A Well-Deserved Boost for Your Career
We genuinely believe that service technicians are an essential part of our industry. They properly install, maintain and repair equipment with patience and expertise… AND they’re really cool people!
Since 2022, it has been our honor to support the commercial kitchen service community with over 50 awards given to technicians and service companies.
Enter TodayEnter for Chance to Win a $1,500 Award
Winners will receive a $1,000 CFESA training scholarship and $500 cash! Awards will be presented during CFESA Regional Meetings and the Annual Conference. For the training portion of the scholarship, winners have until the end of the calendar year that they received the award to sign up for a CFESA course. Winners from the CFESA Annual Conference will have until the next CFESA Conference to enroll in a course.
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Opens Closes CFESA Region Eligible States Winner(s) 12/10/25 1/2/26 Region 4 AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV Jamie Kellahan 12/10/25 2/5/26 Region 1 AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY Farrell Aughney 12/10/25 3/12/26 Region 2 IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI Tristan O'Brian 12/10/25 4/2/26 Region 3 AR, AZ, CO, KS, LA, NM, OK, TX N/A 12/10/25 4/23/26 Region 5 CT, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT N/A 9/27/25 9/29/26 Annual Conference All (In-Person Entries Only) N/A
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the U.S. who are at least 18 years old. See official rules here Official Rules .
Tristan O'Brian
Star Foodservice Equipment Repair
I have been a technician for about two years now, and I got into the field because I was given the opportunity. Everything the service manager described about being a technician intrigued me and made me want to pursue the career. So far, the reason I enjoy being a technician is the variety of work I do. It’s not the same piece of equipment every day—there’s always something new, and sometimes I have to figure out the problem on my own. I also used to be an electrician, so having electrical aspects in this career made it even more appealing. My future goals are to become a master technician and, possibly, to run my own crew someday.
Jamie Kellahan
Archway Service Group
I started out in HVAC manufacturing in 2006. I have a great thirst for knowledge and understanding for how each individual component works to ensure quality in my work. In late 2020, I was offered the opportunity with Archway Service Group. My troubleshooting capabilities improved and expanded with a more diverse range of equipment. The challenges, with a never-ending evolution of smart technology that has been integrated into the equipment, have kept me on my toes. I hope that I can expand my knowledge and understanding as well as share any tricks of the trade with like minded technicians.
Farrell Aughney
C&S Food Equipment Services LLC
I've been a technician for 6 months now. I got into the field through a friend when I was looking for a more hands-on and repair-oriented job. The thing I enjoy the most about the job so far is that every day I'm learning something new. Whether it's working with a completely novel piece of equipment or discovering a unique quirk to something that I'm more familiar with. My goals are to become a more proficient, professional and trusted technician that does right by my company, our customers and the manufacturers, and to grow into a leadership role at my company to help us grow through organization and training.
The Scoop on CFESA
CFESA is the professional trade association for service and parts distributors. Its member companies and their technicians are dedicated to being the best in the foodservice industry. CFESA offers training and testing programs covering gas, electric, steam and warewashing commercial food equipment.
Learn more about our partnership with CFESA at partstown.com/cfesa.