AMI 2009 Richard Cossette/Gale Westerlund Memorial Scholarship Recipient is Scott Schaefer, Crestwood, MO

Online, February 3, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Bedford, Texas, Sept. 23, 2009 ¬- The Automotive Management Institute (AMI) and the Automotive Service Association (ASA) jointly announced today that Scott Schaefer, body shop manager for one of Schaefer Autobody Centers six locations in the St. Louis metro area is the recipient of this year's Richard Cossette/Gale Westerlund Memorial Scholarship.

Schaefer currently manages the Crestwood, MO body shop location which specializes in complete collision repair work, windshield repair and replacement and paintless dent removal. Schaefer has worked in the autobody/collision industry for more than 4 years and is currently working on completing the necessary requirements to earn the Institute's Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. He is I-CAR trained and currently holds an ASE certification in damage analysis and estimating. When not working in the auto body shop, he contributes his time to various community and industry organizations.Richard Cossette owned Lehman's Garage in Minneapolis, Minn., and was a charter founder of AMI and a $50,000 Charter Counselor contributor to AMI's resource development effort EXCEL. He was the first chairman of EXCEL and was a 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.

Steve Schaefer, owner of Schaefer Autobody Centers, opened the doors for business 24 years ago in Webster Groves, MO.The business has grown during the 24 years from one shop to six collision repair centers in the St. Louis area, including locations in Creve Coeur,Crestwood,Ellisville,Fenton,O'Fallon, MO, and the original shop in Webster Groves.Much of the company's growth has been due to quality repairs, exceptional customer service, honesty and integrity.

As the scholarship recipient, Schaefer will receive $1,000 to help cover expenses to attend educational sessions and view the latest auto body repair technologies and equipment during the 2009 International Auto body Congress & Exposition (NACE), Nov. 4-7, in Las Vegas."As a recipient of this scholarship, it is a great honor to be recognized as a member of the collision industry. I'm grateful for the privilege to expand my knowledge through the training and networking opportunities offered at NACE," said Schaefer.

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 184,000 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 http://www.amionline.org.