ASA Member, Affiliate Director Among Most Influential Women Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 By Levy Joffrian, Associate Editor The 2007 Most Influential Women Award recipients (from left): Elainna Sachire; Kristen R. Felder; ASA member Donna West; and Deloes Richardson. Not pictured: Sheri Hamilton. A longtime member of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), and the executive director of an ASA affiliate, are among five women named by Akzo Nobel as “The Most Influential Women in the Collision Repair Industry” for 2007. Among those honored at a dinner-reception Thursday evening, Nov. 1, at the Wynn Las Vegas were ASA member Donna West, co-owner of Southtowne Auto Rebuild in Tukwila, Wash., and Sheri Hamilton, executive director of ASA of Missouri/Kansas, which is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Also cited were Kristen R. Felder, claims manager/Material Damage, Nationwide Insurance Co., Little Rock, Ark.; Elainna Sachire, president, Square One Systems, Cortland, Ohio; and Delores Richardson, president, AtPac Auto Parts, Montreal, Quebec. Akzo Nobel announced that it is continuing its awarding of a $25,000 scholarship, in the name of the Most Influential Women, to the I-CAR Education Foundation. The funds will be used for prospective female students pursuing a career in the collision repair industry. Also at the awards program, Akzo Nobel recognized the Women’s Industry Network, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, developing and cultivating opportunities to attract and retain women in all aspects of the collision repair industry. “This organization will play an important role in the future of our industry as its leaders provide mentorship and reach out to recognize, promote and support one another,” said Frederica Carter, communications manager, Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes America. Hamilton’s parents owned a shop in Kansas City, Mo., and her interest in the industry led her to join the Automotive Service Association of Missouri/Kansas in 1993. Under her leadership as director, the association has grown to 350 members and sponsors the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo, a popular and well-attended three-day event that offers training, education and networking for shop owners from 37 states. West has worked in the business that she and her husband built for the past 30 years. She is a viable force in Washington state’s collision repair industry. She has served as president of the Autobody Craftsman Association, served on a committee to develop questions for the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence’s (ASE) B-6 estimator test and worked with the Independent Technician’s Education Council to develop the collision repair curriculum. Akzo Nobel’s Most Influential Women program began in 1998. It recognizes the unique leadership characteristics, accomplishments and contributions of women to the collision repair industry.