Stacey Coopes Named as a Finalist in 9th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stacey Coopes, CEO of FordDirect was named a finalist in the "Female Executive of the Year" category in the 9th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program. This year, more than 1,200 entries were submitted for consideration in more than 90 categories.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run – worldwide.  The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world's premier business awards.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word "crowned," Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Friday, November 9.  Nominated women executives and entrepreneurs from the U.S.A and several other countries are expected to attend.  

The Stevie Award recognizes Stacey's key achievements and accomplishments over the past 12 months.  Since her appointment, FordDirect has seen 25 percent growth in company size and has increased lead volume to Ford dealers for new and used vehicles by more than 40 percent year-over-year.

"Under her leadership, FordDirect has experienced tremendous growth, making it a great year for the company to diversify and expand its product offerings," says Kate Bullach, Vice President of communications and HR strategy at FordDirect. "We are very proud of Stacey's accomplishments and excited to have her recognized for her efforts managing growth for the company's long-term viability and continued expansion."

Finalists were chosen by more than 130 business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.  More than 90 members of the five final judging committees will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging.

"We're very excited about this year's Finalists in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business," said Michael Gallagher, founder and president of the Stevie Awards.  "The judges have told me that they think this is the best and most inspiring crop of nominees we've ever had.  We look forward to seeing the judges' final decisions."

Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women. 

About FordDirect
FordDirect (forddirect.com/dealercenter) is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers to create a comprehensive Web presence for dealers and provide digital marketing services that help dealers sell more cars and trucks. FordDirect provides dealers new and pre-owned marketing services, call tracking, lead management solutions, dealer Websites, search optimization and marketing, database marketing, marketing services for regional dealer advertising groups and other marketing services. Sales from FordDirect Internet referrals represent 22 percent of Ford Motor Co. retail sales. FordDirect is headquartered in Dearborn, Mich.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

SOURCE FordDirect