Lifetime Achievement Award in Honor of Martin Fromm

Lifetime Achievement Award in Honor of Martin Fromm

This very selective award recognizes individuals who have, over the course of a career spanning many years, distinguished themselves through their integrity, unselfish commitment to, and high level of performance within the motor vehicle aftermarket industry. Nominees will be considered "backbones" of the industry, individuals who have led great organizations of all sizes and/or industry causes, created jobs and/or opportunities and demonstrated exemplary service to customers, suppliers, peers and the motoring public. Award winners need not be AWDA members.

2024 RECIPIENT: Sue Godschalk

The Aftermarket Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), a community of the Auto Care Association, presented its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award in Honor of Martin Fromm to Sue Godschalk, President of Federated Auto Parts.  The award was presented by AWDA Chairperson Ashlee Arnold on November 3^rd at AWDA’s 2024 Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

AWDA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have, over the course of many years, distinguished themselves through their unselfish commitment to, and high level of performance within, the motor vehicle aftermarket industry. The award is named in honor of former AWDA President Martin Fromm.

Sue began in the aftermarket 52 years ago in the inventory control department and will go on to become CEO of Federated Auto Parts at year end.  Sue started at the bottom and worked up to the very top of the organization.  Sue has experienced great success in an industry that has been traditionally dominated by men. Federated always looks for the most capable individuals and in many leadership positions, that person is a woman.  

Like many small business leaders, Sue wears numerous hats including managing financials, people, meetings, payments, rebates, and much more.  She’s a consensus builder who listens, contributes, pushes hard for what she believes in and then implements the plan better than nearly anyone else.

Sue leads through servant leadership, collaboration, and by putting the time in until the job is done.  Like all great leaders, she seeks professionalism over popularity.  She doesn’t seek the limelight and accomplishes far more than nearly everyone else, and for years has been able to set new standards working alongside her husband Herb.

Sue had great mentors in Larry Pavey, Rusty Bishop, Art Fisher, all of the Federated membership, and truth be told, all of us have benefited from being around such a highly capable person who is the perfect combination of a productive manager, worker bee, and intelligent team player.

Great plans can often fail without excellent execution and Sue works the plan as well as anyone and deserves credit for all of her successes both personally and professionally.  While working long hours, she finds time to support her church and community as she is highly involved with her Church as the Lector and the Secretary of the Parish Council.  Sue also loves to cook and entertain, and in High School, she was even a starter on her basketball team and the Captain of their cheerleading squad.