KISSIMMEE, FL- President and CEO of U.S.-based Rihm Kenworth Kari Rihm was named 2015 Influential Woman in Trucking by Navistar and Women In Trucking. The award was presented this week during a ceremony at the Truckload Carriers Association annual meeting.

“We are proud to recognize the leadership of Kari Rihm and other influential women in our industry,” said Lisa Hartenberger, director of communications at Navistar, the award’s sponsor. “Women make a difference in the trucking industry every day and the goal of the Influential Woman in Trucking award is to shine a spotlight on their contributions.”

The Influential Woman in Trucking award recognizes women in the trucking industry who make or influence key decisions, have a proven record of responsibility, and mentor and serve as a role model to other women. WIT and Navistar teamed up to develop this award in 2010 as a way to honor female leaders in trucking, and to attract and advance women within the industry.

Rihm took over Rihm Kenworth after the passing of her husband in 2010. The company had been in her husband’s family since 1932. Since taking over with her two children, Rihm Kenworth has added two more locations to grow the company from three to five dealerships. The firm has also increased staff by over 50 percent.

Rihm Kenworth is the only 100-percent woman-owned Kenworth dealer in the U.S. and was named Kenworth’s Medium Duty Truck Dealer of the Year three out of the last four years and has been certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise Network Council since 2011.

“Kari is proof that women are achieving great things in all trucking professions, from drivers to accountants to CEOs,” said Ellen Voie, president of Women In Trucking. “As more women move into leadership positions within the trucking industry, it will become even more difficult to narrow the list of candidates in the future.”