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- The Riverton Depot Dawgz who work at Jiffy Lube will compete in the J-Team All Stars Challenge.
- The team, one of four finalists, will be judged on teamwork and speed while performing oil changes.
- Winners receive $10,000 and a trip to the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Race.
RIVERTON — A group of Riverton Jiffy Lube employees are set to compete in a national competition to be the best oil changers in the country.
The Riverton Depot Dawgz, at the Jiffy Lube at 13318 S. Market Center Drive, was chosen as one of four finalist teams from 1,300 participating Jiffy Lube locations across the country after winning three rounds of competition. Now, they're headed to the J-Team All-Stars Challenge in Houston.
"We have been training multiple times a week for hours on end, just perfecting the process and making sure we are perfect and then trying to get a little bit faster all the time," said Justin Soha, general vice president and Riverton Jiffy Lube owner.
Mason Chivers, Isaac Akiyama, Zander Palfreyman and Kyle Peterson make up the four-member squad. Their name was chosen because the Jiffy Lube is located next to The Home Depot. "And we're dawgz," Peterson joked.
In the national competition, the Dawgz will be graded on teamwork, accuracy, execution and speed while performing a Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil Change.
"We've always known this store, and these guys, were fantastic, but the fact that they worked this hard and took it to this level is extremely impressive, and we couldn't be more proud," Soha said.
The squad will face off against the three other teams from Massachusetts, California and Florida on Feb. 26 to try to win $10,000 and bragging rights as the best-performing Jiffy Lube team in the nation. The winner also receives an all-expense paid trip to the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Race presented by Jiffy Lube in Las Vegas next month.
"It's a great opportunity. It's gonna be fun. These guys are going to be able to show how good they really are," Soha said.
The Riverton Depot Dawgz even has "really fancy uniforms" created for the competition, repping the Utah and American flags.
"Everybody here is excited to go compete. (Soha's) very proud of us. It's been a lot of work and time and effort," Peterson said. He has worked at Jiffy Lube for 15 years.
The J-Team All-Stars Challenge was created by Jiffy Lube International more than 20 years ago to highlight the Jiffy Lube University training program employees go through.
The competition aims to "showcase the knowledge and expertise that helps them deliver a consistent, top-notch customer experience. As the pioneer of the quick lube industry, the challenge also reinforces the brand's legacy of delivering fast, convenient service," a statement from Jiffy Lube said.
"We're super excited to show how good we are at the competition and we love taking care of customers on a daily basis as well," Soha said.
