Geralynn “Geri” Kottschade co-founded Jerry’s Body Shop in Mankato, Minn., with her husband, 1994 inductee Jerry Kottschade, on Oct. 15, 1971, and served as its chief financial officer. The business later joined the ABRA network and in 2021 marked 30 consecutive years of I-CAR Gold Class status. An Accredited Automotive Manager, she was a CIECA officer, received CIECA’s Outstanding Contribution award in 2002 and the ASA Phoenix Award in 2003, and was chair-elect of the Automotive Service Association in 2003. She was one of six women who founded the Women’s Industry Network, which she also led, and helped shape WIN’s Founding Mothers Award, first presented in 2026.
Geralynn Kottschade
Class of 2002