AGSI™
The independent authority for grill service certification
The American Grill Service Institute exists because outdoor cooking appliances are common, consequential, and poorly standardized as a trade. Homeowners, property managers, and employers needed a clear answer to a simple question: who has demonstrated competence—and who has only claimed it?
AGSI is a personnel certification body. We publish a public Body of Knowledge for the grill cleaning and service trade, administer examinations against that framework, and list holders of active credentials in a public registry so status can be verified. Our purpose is consumer safety and professional credibility—not selling seats in a course.
Education can prepare a candidate. It does not equal a credential. AGSI credentials are awarded for examination performance within a defined scope, under published rules. Optional free study and practice materials never unlock certification and are never required to sit for CGCT.
How certification works
Candidates purchase a 90-day eligibility window (CGCT Level I: $499), agree to the Code of Conduct, and sit a timed, open-book examination. Pass mark: 75%. Free retakes follow a cooldown within the eligibility window. On pass, the credential, branding kit, and directory listing become available so customers and employers can verify status at /verify.
AGSI operates as an independent certification body, designed toward ISO/IEC 17024 principles of impartiality and validity. We do not claim ANAB accreditation, and we do not invent insurer mandates. Related commercial activity—including the founder’s grill cleaning business—is separated from certification decisions under published impartiality practices.
Governance & subject-matter experts
Standards mature when practitioners and adjacent experts challenge them. AGSI invites subject-matter experts in grill service, gas safety, thermodynamics, metallurgy, and related disciplines to help refine the Body of Knowledge and examination content through a structured pathway—including conflict-of-interest attestation and contribution workflows.
SME participation supports examination quality and future accreditation readiness. It is volunteer contribution to a public competence framework—not a pay-to-play shortcut to a credential.
Leadership
Matthew Brunken
Executive Director · MBA, University of Nebraska · Owner, Husker Grill Cleaning
Matthew founded AGSI to put clear, exam-based standards under a skilled trade—so homeowners know what competence looks like, technicians can prove it without pay-to-play shortcuts, and buyers can verify status in a public registry. Read his background and role.
