BASF has named Jeffrey Naugle as the winner of the North American winner for the R-M Best Painter Contest this year.

The North American finals took place on February 26-27 in Whitehouse, Ohio.

A panel of judges consisting of industry experts evaluated contestants who were chosen from among applicants from all across North America. They were judged in the following two categories:

• Digital competency and fast productive solutions, which tested how the contestants leveraged UV technology during the damage repair process
• Safety and sustainability, where the contestants were required to demonstrate the best safety practices and sustainable processes, such as the use of the R-M Onyx HD Waterborne system

The contestants were fought for top scores in several categories such as repair processes, timing, material consumption and quality of the repair. Additionally, their colour tint skills were also tested as they were required to showcase their understanding of how changing original formulas could affect colour outcomes.

BASF’s technical experts were part of the panel of judges, along with guest judges Jonathan Goolsby of Goolsby Customs and KC Mathieu of KC’s Paint Shop.

Naugle, a paint technician, has won a BASF-sponsored trip to Paris. At the International Finals, Naugle will be representing North America as he competes with finalists selected from seventeen other countries from around the world.

“Being a part of the contest was a huge honour and I was grateful to be included,” said Naugle. “Winning first place was a huge surprise and I was speechless. I can’t wait to represent North America in the international competition and further my skills using R-M products.”

“As a first-time host of this event, it was really cool to see the excitement and passion from each participant as they competed,” said Tina Nelles, Marketing Services Manager for BASF Refinish. “Each of the guys was extremely talented and it was difficult for the judges to select the winners. We are excited about what North America will be bringing to the international finals later this year as Jeff competes against his peers from around the world.”