OIWC Seeks Nominations for Pioneering Woman in Outdoor Industry

The Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC) has announced it is accepting nominations for the first annual Pioneering Woman Award for the bike industry. This award honors women in the industry who have furthered the vision of the OIWC by demonstrating an outstanding commitment to mentoring female colleagues.

The OIWC introduced the Pioneering Woman Award in the outdoor industry in 2002, and in 2006 the OIWC introduced the first Pioneering Woman Award in the snowsports and the bike industries. Donna Carpenter of Burton was named as the recipient of the 2006 Pioneering Woman Award for the snowsports industry during the SIA trade show. Previous winners for the outdoor industry include Kim Coupounas, Ann Krcik, Norma Hansen, Rachel Ligtenberg, and Kitty Bradley.

The winner of the Pioneering Woman Award for the bike industry will be announced at the OIWC Schmoozapalooza, a networking event at the Interbike trade show on Thursday, September 28th. The recipient receives a check for $1,000 to be donated to a charity of her choice in her name.

The deadline for nominations is July 31, 2006. Nominations can be submitted online at www.oiwc.org.

OIWC is a non-profit corporation focused on the mission of equipping women to achieve their success. OIWC is sponsored at the Gold Plus level by Fox River, REI, and WL Gore. At the Gold level, sponsors are Jansport, Mountain Hardwear, and The North Face. Silver sponsors are Thule, Hi-Tec, Black Diamond, Burton, Camelbak, Hooked on the Outdoors, The Forest Group, K2 Sports, Marmot, Outdoor Retailer, Timberland, and Tubbs. Bronze sponsors are Leisure Trends Group, Backpacker Magazine, GoLite, Leki USA, Moving Comfort, Outdoor Industry Association, OutdoorMind, SIA, Sierra Magazine, Kelty, and Cascade Designs.