Melbourne, Florida—Pam Gatto, president of Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service, will be honored on September 28 when the Founders Forum names her the recipient of the group’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award recognizes “business excellence within our community.”

Gatto will also be featured with the cover story in the September issue of Spacecoast Business magazine. The article discusses how Gatto has prospered in a traditionally male-dominated business, including being the first woman to hold the title of president of the Tire Association of North America (TANA). She is also the first woman to be named Entrepreneur of the Year. And Gatto is also one of the few women to be inducted into the Tire Industry Association Hall of Fame, which honors outstanding accomplishments of personalities who have brought lasting fame to the tire, rubber and transportation industries. Some of the other members of the TIA Hall of Fame: Harvey Firestone, Charles Goodyear, François Michelin and John Dunlop.

The Founders Forum was established in 1985 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the needs of entrepreneurs in East Central Florida. Its primary focus is to provide a forum where new businesses can network with funding sources and potential investors can learn of new businesses. As part of the mission, the Founders Forum seeks out and honors business excellence within the community through both the Founders Forum Entrepreneur of the Year Award and panels with accomplished business men and women discussing issues important to today’s entrepreneur.

In 2007, Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service, with seven locations in Brevard County and headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, gained national attention when Tire Review magazine honored the business with the highly competitive “Top Shop Award”. Besting more than 100 other independent shops, Gatto’s was judged as the best overall tire dealership in America.

“My father started this business in 1972 with the simple premise that we don’t sell tires and service, we sell peace of mind and make vehicles safe for our customers,” said Pam Gatto.

Judges in the national contest considered each semi-finalist entry in the following categories: customer service, expertise, community service, appearance, achievement and merchandising. Gatto’s received the highest overall score among all entrants.

Gatto’s was recognized for making their commitment to the community a top customer service priority. “We live and work in the communities we serve and our customers see familiar faces when they come into our stores,” said Gatto. “We have an experienced service team and we believe in educating our customers so they can make informed decisions about their vehicles.”

There are seven locations of Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service in Brevard County, Florida—Merritt Island, two locations in Cocoa, Suntree/Viera, Melbourne, Lake Washington and Palm Bay.