SCRS’s welding and refinish contest winners announced

Published on November 14, 2025

More than $90,000 in prizes are being donated to trade schools by winners who claimed the title of “Best Refinisher” and “Best Welder” by competing on Skillveri virtual reality simulators at the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) booth at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas last week. 

Six finalists received a Full Series Pass to the 2026 SEMA Show and direct prize packages donated by Skillveri, Southern California Collision Equipment (SCCE), and Milwaukee Tool to a collision repair school program of their choice.

Lucas Kunstleben, a student at St. Cloud Technical Community College in Minnesota, took the grand prize for the refinish contest. 

“It is an honor,” Kunstleben told Repairer Driven News. “I enjoyed the competition and it was really cool to win.” 

A first-time SEMA Show attendee, Kunstleben said he learned about the contest from an industry partner of his college. 

“I have tried a handful of other simulators; I do have experience with them, which helps,” Kunstleben said. “But I liked this one.”  

As the winner of the refinish contest, he donated a lifetime Skillveri VR/MR license with full hardware valued at $25,000 to his school. 

His instructor and brother, Tyler Kunstleben, also tied for third place in the welding competition and received some add-on prizes. 

Finalists donated the following prizes: 

    • First place (Welding & Refinishing): Lifetime Skillveri VR/MR license with full hardware kit, valued at $25,000.
    • Second place (Welding & Refinishing): one-year Skillveri license with hardware kit ($5,500 value) plus a Fronius Fortis 270 C MIG/MAG welding machine, valued at about $6,000 and provided by SCCE.
    • Third place (Welding & Refinishing): Skillveri Fundamentals license ($3,500 value), plus a premium Milwaukee Tool kit valued at about $6,000.

“It is super cool that they [SCRS] were able to host this opportunity and give back to people,” Lucas Kunstleben said.

Contest winners included three instructors, two students, and two shop owners. 

Refinish winners were: 

    • First place: Kunstleben (student) donated to St. Cloud Technical and Community College
    • Second place: Alexis Beckler (student) donated to Hawkeye Community College
    • Third place: Kendall Ickes (shop owner) donated to Northern Neck Technical Center

Welding winners were:

    • First place: Laura Lozano (instructor) donated to Contra Costa College
    • Second place: Jeff Butler (shop owner) donated to Lake Washington Vocational Technical College
    • Third place: Landon Larocque (instructor) donated to Collin College Welding Technology
    • Third place: Tyler Kunstleben (instructor) donated to St. Cloud Technical and Community College

IMAGE

Feature image of  the Collision Engineering Career Alliance and Contra Costa College contest participants at the SCRS booth during 2025 SEMA Show/RDN

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