FREDA THOMPSON HONORED BY ABRN AT NACE 2002 NIGHT OF ACHIEVEMENT

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL - December 13, 2002 - Freda Thompson, co-owner of Ace Auto Body in Hartselle, Alabama was awarded the 2002 ABRN Industry Leadership Award during the Night of Achievement at NACE in Dallas, Texas.

This award is given annually to an individual who goes above and beyond to excel in the collision industry. According to Terri McMenamin, Publisher of ABRN, “Freda has worked hard the past year to improve the image of the industry, recruit apprenticeships, and implement mentoring programs. What really made our decision easier was her involvement and commitment to the PACE+ST3 program offered by the I-CAR Education Foundation.”

When the Education Foundation announced the PACE+ST3 training initiative at NACE last year, Freda Thompson, a Foundation Board Trustee, expressed a strong interest in piloting the program in a high school near her shop. Kim Beck, the collision repair-training instructor at A.P. Brewer High School in Somerville, Alabama, also teaches I-CAR classes. Freda and her husband Myron were already members of Beck’s advisory committee. Freda not only helped guide the PACE+ST3 pilot, but also employed one of the PACE+ST3 students as an intern this summer. She also worked with the Alabama Collision Repairer’s Association (ACRA) to carry the message to collision repair business owners all over the state.

Freda, also Vice-President of ACRA, invited Ron Ray to present at two ACRA meetings this year. Freda, her husband Myron, and other members of the high school’s advisory committee also participated in a panel discussion at one of the ACRA meetings to share with the present shop owners how to successfully operate a committee. “Freda has worked hard during the pilot of PACE+ST3 at Brewer High School, and also to spread the word about the program throughout Alabama to her fellow collision repair business owners. We are fortunate to have her on the I-CAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees,” stated Ron Ray, Executive Director of the I-CAR Education Foundation.

The I-CAR Education Foundation,founded in 1991,is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of entry-level employees for the collision industry.