BEDFORD, TEXAS, Sept. 26, 2006 - The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) and the Automotive Service Association (ASA) jointly announced today that Lillian Lovell, co-owner and office manager for Collision Repair, Fayetteville, Ark., is the recipient of the Gale Westerlund Memorial Scholarship, as well as the Richard Cossette Memorial Scholarship.

Lovell and her husband purchased the collision repair shop just over a year ago. She is a member of ASA and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). She is also active with her local church and schools.

Westerlund owned and operated Gale's Auto Center in Blaine Minn., and was a $25,000 Guarantor contributor to EXCEL. He earned the Institute's AAM designation in 1993, and also served on the ASA board of directors for many years. He was an active member of ASA and other collision industry organizations until his death in 2005.

Richard Cossette owned Lehman's Garage in Minneapolis, Minn., and was a charter founder of AMI and a $50,000 Charter Counsellor contributor to AMI's EXCEL program. He was the first chairman of EXCEL and was the recipient of AMI's Annual Recognition Award in 1994. He was awarded an honorary Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation in 1997 to further recognize his commitment and dedication to AMI. He also held numerous leadership positions on the ASA board of directors and was active in several industry organizations until his death in 2002.

As the scholarship recipient, Lovell will receive $1,000 to help cover expenses to attend educational sessions and view the latest repair technologies and equipment during the 2006 International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE), Nov. 1-4, in Las Vegas.

"It is a great honor to receive these scholarships. Without them, I would be unable to attend NACE. Being new to the industry, I have much to learn and the educational opportunities offered at NACE will be very beneficial to help us grow our small business," said Lovell.

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 132,000 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. 241, or visit the AMI Web site at www.amionline.org.