Bedford, Texas, Sept. 7, 2007 - The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) is recommending that women mark their calendars to attend the first-ever Women’s Professional Development Track that will debut at the 2007 International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE). NACE will be held Oct. 31 – Nov. 3, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Four brand-new sessions to further develop the skills and careers of women who are directly or indirectly involved in the collision repair and automotive service industries are included in the track. The courses are reviewed and approved by the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) and will earn credits toward the institute’s Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. The following courses are scheduled: “How to Communicate Like a Pro,” which will focus on developing powerful spoken and written communication skills; “A Brand-New You … Assertiveness Skills that Lead to Success,” designed to develop women into strong, gutsy decision-makers and risk-takers; “Developing Your Own Road Map,” which will focus on self-improvement and how to achieve goals; and “Overcoming Obstacles,” a session that will cover time management techniques and assertive training. “We are thrilled to see the addition of a women’s track at NACE. Through our experience with WIN, we confirmed what we already suspected – women often feel underrepresented at industry functions and there is a hunger for content that speaks directly to women in the industry,” said WIN Chair, Geralynn Kottschade, AAM. “We commend NACE and AMI for bringing women-specific content to this industry event. This type of offering is good for women and the industry as a whole,” said Kottschade.

The sessions will last 1-1/2 hours and will take place throughout NACE. “How to Communicate Like a Pro” will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on Oct. 31, with “A Brand-New You” taking place from 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. on that same day. “Developing Your Own Road Map” will be held Nov. 1, from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., and the final session, “Overcoming Obstacles,” will run from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 2. Like all AMI-approved courses, both men and women are invited to participate. For more information, contact AMI, (800) 272-7467, ext. 241, or visit the Schedule-At-A-Glance portion of the NACE Web site, www.NACEexpo.com. Registration for the Women’s Professional Development Track is available on the NACE Web site.

WIN is a not-for-profit association 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 additional information about WIN, including membership, news and events, go to www.WomensIndustryNetwork.com.

To date, AMI programs have attracted more than 160,000 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.