LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The nation's top oil change technicians gathered in Lexington on Tuesday for Valvoline's annual "Oilympics" competition, bringing together competitors from 39 locations across the country.
Valvoline, headquartered in Lexington, has hosted the competition for 32 years. Technicians are judged on speed, accuracy, and safety.
Dannielle Tereschenko, a technician from Virginia who won last year's competition with a perfect score, said the bar is set high.
"We're all striving to be able to get perfect score across the board," Tereschenko said.
Kyle McMahon, Vice President for store operations for everything west of the Mississippi, said the event is about more than competition.
"We're changing oil, it's not the most glamorous thing in the world. So, to be able to celebrate our people and our process by having the greatest teams get together, it's pretty special," McMahon said.
Rising oil prices tied to the war on Iran are on the minds of Valvoline executives, though McMahon said customers have not yet felt a significant impact at the service counter.
"I would tell you we haven't had anything egregious or crazy," McMahon said of any recent price increases due to the cost of oil. "Certainly, the price of oil has been no better to us than it has to other people, but we're doing everything not to pass that price onto our consumer," he added.
Questions remain about what a prolonged conflict could mean for oil supplies, particularly if access through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint through which 1/5 of the world's oil supply passes — becomes limited or closed. McMahon said the company is not yet alarmed.
"I would say no; we're not at a point where we're concerned about that. I think our stores are well-supplied to give our customers what they need," McMahon said.
Despite the uncertainty, McMahon said Valvoline remains committed to recognizing its workforce.
"In a time like this, to celebrate your teams, a lot of companies may or may not do that, but we've done it for decades now and will continue to because we know it's important to our culture," McMahon said.
