WIN Extends Nomination Deadline and Reveals Prize for Founding Mothers Award
The Women’s Industry Network extended the nomination deadline for the inaugural Founding Mothers Award through Feb. 2.
The Founding Mother Award honors the women who are shaping the future of the collision repair industry and demonstrate passion, perseverance, and purpose every day.
The award recipients will receive a comprehensive prize package designed to advance their careers, elevate their craft, and celebrate their achievements. Whether a winner is a technician or a painter, they’ll enjoy meaningful professional support and an unforgettable conference experience. The prize package includes:
- Professional Tools & Equipment: Up to $5,000 toward tools or equipment of the recipient’s choice; technicians may select tools from their preferred brand, and painters may choose a premium paint gun. Any remaining balance can be applied toward additional tools from their preferred supplier. Winners may also allocate part of this amount toward continuing education or eligible work-related expenses with submitted receipts.
- Apparel & Conference Attire: $1,000 apparel stipend – recipients can use this to purchase workwear (jeans, polos, shoes), or conference clothing, including their Gala outfit. Recipients will receive dress code guidance to make planning easy receipts required).
- Full Conference Experience: Winners receive an all-expenses-covered experience at the WIN Conference including their conference pass, lodging, and round-trip flights. Shop owners or managers may join the experience with access to a discounted conference pass.
-
Shop Recognition: WIN will recognize both the winner and their shop, celebrating the team behind their success.
The Founding Mothers award has been established to celebrate the six actual ‘founding mothers’ of WIN - Frederica Carter, Geri Kottschade, Gigi Walker, Patricia Serratore, Kathy Mello, and Marcy Tieger - and celebrate to organization’s creation and true mission of WIN by supporting and connecting women in collision repair. For this award, Founding Mothers Kottschade, Carter, and Tieger are actively providing input, continuing their legacy of leadership and inspiration.
“Key considerations for this new, prestigious award will include excellence in their craft, as well as mentoring others to success in repair excellence,” Kottschade said. “The new Founding Mothers Award is open to all women and will annually recognize an individual that is ‘intently involved with the true craft of collision repair, as their skills need to be still active on the shop floor – either as a hands-on refinish technician and/or painter.”
This year’s class of 2026 Most Influential Women and the inaugural Founding Mothers award recipient will all be celebrated at WIN’s Annual Conference, May 4–6, in Tucson, Arizona. Nomination forms are available here.