LEESBURG, Va. – The sixth annual Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Conference kicked off Monday morning in Atlanta with more than 200 women from all segments of the collision repair industry. The first day included a keynote address on “Extreme Change: Adapt, Overcome & WIN as One” by Robyn Benincasa, world champion adventure racer, San Diego City firefighter and founder of World Class Teams and the Project Athena Foundation.
Dr. Linda Gravett of Gravett and Associates inspired conference attendees with her strategies for managing stress and maintaining inner peace utilizing exercises borrowed from Tai Chi, Yoga and Tae Kwon Do. The afternoon session included an update on vehicle design and collision avoidance technology and its impact on the industry presented by Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president, Highway Loss Data Institute.
Also included in the day was recognition of the nine conference scholarship winners, including six students: Nicolette Cole, Le’Trina Ervin, Tiffany Owen, Leslie Mendoza, Jennifer Watkins, Kinsey Simmons; one instructor: Greg Brink; and two collision repair facility employees: Deborah O’Kean and Jessica Gauthier.
Margaret Knell was awarded this year’s Cornerstone Award, given each year to a board member who exemplifies the values and ideals of WIN. Also recognized were WIN’s 2012 Corporate Sponsors: AkzoNobel, DuPont, Allstate, ASE, BASF, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, State Farm Insurance, Hertz, 3M, LKQ, Sterling Autobody Centers, Geico, Fix Auto, Carstar, PPG; ABRA Auto Body & Glass, CAPA, Finishmaster, Symphony Advisors, Sherwin Williams, Mitchell, CCC Information Services, Insurance Auto Auctions, Audatex and Car-Part.com.
“We want to thank every one of our sponsors for their support of WIN. Their commitments are essential to achieving our mission of engaging women in the collision repair industry,” said Victoria Jankowski, WIN’s chair.
WIN is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing and cultivating opportunities to attract women to collision repair while recognizing excellence, promoting leadership, and fostering a network among the women who are shaping the industry. For more information go to www.womensindustrynetwork.com.
