The Women’s Business Enterprise Council – Great Lakes (WBEC – Great Lakes) has recognized Lynn Tilton, Founder and CEO of Patriarch Partners, LLC as their “Role Model & Mentor of the Year” for her leadership of DURA Automotive Systems at their 12th annual Women’s Business Conference, held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan on October 8th and 9th. This award is bestowed upon one outstanding WBEC-Great Lakes woman business owner, who has dedicated herself to educate and motivate other female business owners.

“I am honored and humbled to receive this award which recognizes a mission which I hold dear to my heart: a quest to inspire other women business owners that we can build the dream with passion and perseverance,” says Tilton. “I am grateful to Ford for their nomination and their continued support of Dura as an important women-owned business supplier.”

“Ford Motor Company has strong initiatives in place to support women-owned suppliers and strives to expand its business partnerships with outstanding women such as Lynn Tilton that provide valuable products and services to our customers,” said Carla Preston, Ford, director of Supplier Diversity Development. “We are honored to nominate Ms. Tilton for the WBEC Great Lakes WBE Role Model of the Year Award for consistently steering DURA, a Ford tier-one supplier, and her more than seventy other women-owned business interests toward long-term success. Moreover, we recognize Ms. Tilton for her enduring commitment as a role model for other women business enterprises.”

Ms. Tilton frequently addresses employees at DURA and shares her unique business perspectives with the group. In 2011, she created an award program for DURA employees to celebrate the accomplishments of its top women contributors. The program, entitled “Leading Women of DURA” recognizes the efforts of women across all DURA locations. The program includes a personal presentation of “The Diamond Award” to the women who have made the greatest contributions to the company’s success in the last year. The program has added a new component to the company’s culture that will help shape the future of Dura, one that will endure for decades to come.

Ms. Tilton’s involvement in mentoring women and advocating for the advancement of women-owned businesses outside of DURA has been exemplary. She routinely donates her time to speak to audiences and share her experiences, philosophies and strategies about how women can lead their business to greater success and help rebuild America in the process. She has been a frequent keynote speaker at women’s industry conferences across the nation and participates as a member of numerous customer diversity boards. She has been recognized for her efforts by several women’s industry groups and actively mentors woman-owned businesses. She has invested significantly in the WBEC cause through her active participation and the council registration of more than sixty of her own companies.

About the Great Lakes Women’s Business Conference:

The 12th Annual Great Lakes Women’s Business Conference took place on October 8 and 9th, 2012 at the at the Novi Showplace in Novi, Michigan to bring together women-owned businesses from the Great Lakes region to help these businesses propel their businesses forward. The conference provided an opportunity to achieve 6 months of sales prospecting in 2 days as well as the chance to learn leadership and sales strategies that will serve women-owned business for years to come. This conference addressed the needs of both aspiring and established business owners and delivered practical strategies for succeeding in a highly competitive market. Special procurement opportunities were available for WBENC certified women business enterprises at the event. http://miceed.org/2012Conference/index.html

About Patriarch Partners:

Patriarch Partners, LLC, is an investment firm and holding company managing 75 companies with annual revenues in excess of $8 billion. Founded by Wall Street veteran Lynn Tilton in 2000, Patriarch is dedicated to saving American manufacturing jobs by saving American companies that have fallen from economic favor. Since inception, the Patriarch family of funds have bought more than 150 companies, and in so doing have saved over 250,000 jobs. Patriarch’s platform includes a broad range of industrial concerns including Dura Automotive, Oasis Water and American LaFrance, in addition to iconic American brands such as Rand McNally, MD Helicopters, Stila Cosmetics and Spiegel Catalogs. Under Ms. Tilton’s leadership, Patriarch has become the largest woman-owned business in America with companies in its platform providing employment to more than 120,000 persons. For more information, please visit: www.patriarchpartners.com .