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Award Details

The Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award is given annually by the Auto Care Association’s Education Committee to an individual that best advances the concepts and programs for education or continuing education in the North American auto care industry.

The award was established in by Mort Schwartz, aftermarket entrepreneur, business owner and now investor/consultant.

The Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award was created to honor one of the automotive aftermarket’s greatest success stories, a man who rose to the top of the auto care industry by virtue of his enormous talent, hard work and dedication to the industry that he helped shape.

As a young entrepreneur, long-time business owner and now investor/consultant, Mort Schwartz has always put back more than he has taken out of the industry. Not only has he been involved in and chaired some of the largest and most powerful industry associations, Schwartz has always been a strong advocate for industry education, training and scholarship programs.

The Automotive Aftermarket Scholarship Program, www.automotivescholarships.com, which he helped create, continues to grow today through contributions given by industry organizations and individuals.

2026 recipients

Bill Babcox
CEO, Babcox Media
Bill Babcox is CEO of Babcox Media, a privately held, 106-year-old media, data, and marketing company at the center of the auto care industry. Since 1990, he has led the organization through decades of transformation, evolving it from a traditional publisher into a multi-channel, insight-driven performance media organization.
A lifelong advocate for the aftermarket, Bill has built his career on a clear premise: the strength of the industry is driven by the strength of its connections. Under his leadership, Babcox Media delivers the insights, audience intelligence, and integrated marketing solutions that help manufacturers, distributors, and service providers make smarter decisions and drive growth in an increasingly complex marketplace.
Throughout his career, Bill has actively served the industry through leadership roles, board and committee participation, and ongoing engagement with key associations and initiatives.
A graduate of Denison University, Bill lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, with his wife, Patty.

Judging criteria

Nominations are evaluated in accordance with the candidate's:

Innovation of new auto care education programs for any auto care audience,
Advancement of existing programs, and/or
Superlative effort to further promote the educational programs or education fund raising efforts.

Presented at

Event ended

2026 Connect

Auto Care Connect is a three and a half day program that offers learning sessions, a business trade show, executive keynote presentations and association steering meetings to shape the industry's landscape.