Bedford, Texas, Sept. 21, 2005 - The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) and the Automotive Service Association (ASA) jointly announced today that Vicki Ford, office manager for J & M Collision, Inc., Troy, Mich., is the recipient of this year's Emil Stanley Merit Award.

The award honors Emil Stanley who was publisher of Automotive Body Repair News (ABRN) until his death in 1989. Mr. Stanley was committed to strengthening the professionalism of the collision repair industry through education. He was recognized as a strong advocate of the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE), the world's largest collision repair event sponsored annually by ASA.

Ford has been in the automotive service industry since 1979 when her father purchased the shop. She is an ASA member and when not in the shop, contributes her time to various community organizations including the Troy Rotary Club, the Troy Boys & Girls Club, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, the Grace Centers of Hope and Gilda's Club. She is also involved in the Red Cross and provides items and financial support to the Salvation Army.

As the scholarship recipient, Ford will receive complimentary registration, air transportation and hotel accommodations to attend NACE 2005, Nov. 2-5, in Las Vegas.

"It is an honor to receive this award from the Automotive Management Institute. I am proud to be recognized for my commitment to management education, and look forward to attending NACE 2005 and to earning my very own Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation," said Ford.

The Emil Stanley award is made possible by a grant from ASA to EXCEL, AMI's resource development program.

AMI was established to answer the demand for continuing education tailored specifically for the business needs of the automotive service industry. The Institute offers the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation, the first business management accreditation exclusively for the automotive service professional. To date, AMI programs have attracted more than 131,000 enrollments throughout North America. AMI is a not-for-profit educational foundation to which tax-deductible contributions can be made. For more information about the Institute, its curriculum, or EXCEL, please contact AMI at (800) 272-7467, ext. 239, or visit the AMI Web site at www.amionline.org.