CARROLLTON, Texas - Gina Grant, founder, CEO and creator of the Women That Soar Awards, announced that Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc., a leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchisor with more than 640 centers worldwide, will be honored with the prestigious Leadership Award at the 2016 Women That Soar Awards event on Sunday, November 13 at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

“Catherine is a wonderful role model for women,” said Grant. “She has such a story to tell. She has never let personal or professional obstacles keep her from achieving her goals and she exemplifies all that a leader should be.”

The Mission of Women That Soar is to empower and encourage all women to feel confident in their unique talents and capabilities, to understand the power of unity and to be strong in their journeys to productive, enriched lives.

A 30-year veteran of the print and visual communications industry, Monson is an accomplished executive and leader. Since joining FASTSIGNS in 2009, she has advanced the brand to be “More Than” and helped it evolve into a leading visual ideas and comprehensive graphic communications solutions provider.

“I am truly honored to be selected as a 2016 Leadership Award recipient and I am committed to doing all I can to inspire, motivate and help other women achieve success,” said Monson. “Regardless of the challenges we may face in life, choosing to have a positive outlook, striving to learn new things and to make the most of each day helps us to reach our full potential.”

Monson’s career track is impressive, not only for the positions she has held, but also for the leadership she has provided and the respect she has earned from her peers. Over the years, she has served on corporate, charitable and association boards, contributed to her community through volunteer work, and spoken at events to promote the professional advancement of women.

In 2009, Monson was honored by the International Franchise Association (IFA) with the Bonny LeVine Award, a prestigious award given to a female in franchising to recognize outstanding accomplishments and mentorship. Catherine has received numerous other leadership awards and most recently was an inaugural winner of the Women in Print award from Big Picture magazine, and an inductee into the printing industry’s prestigious Soderstrom Society. Under Monson’s leadership, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. received the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition presented by the Department of Defense to employers for their exemplary support of National Guard and Reserve members. She has been recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as one of the top 25 Women Industry Leaders. In 2012, Catherine appeared on the two-time Emmy Award-nominated reality series, Undercover Boss, to learn new ways to further advance the FASTSIGNS brand.

Catherine also serves on the board of directors of two franchise companies in the education industry (The Learning Experience and Brain Balance), as well as and Pi Sigma Epsilon, a sales and marketing fraternity for college and university students. She was recently elected as the Secretary of the International Franchise Association and has served on the IFA board, IFA Executive Committee and was chair of the franchisor forum.

The Women That Soar Awards show is sure to be an incredible evening with Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier, with Co-Host and Comedian Heather McDonald and performances by Wynonna Judd, En Vogue, Leela James and Reagan James. The 2016 awards are being produced by industry leading executives spearheaded by Elaine Parrish, former Sr. VP of Showtime and Sony and Executive Producer of The Game Show Network and Katy Murphy Davis, former Sr. Supervising Producer of The Oprah Show, and creator of Oprah's Angel Network. The producers promise to take the show to the next level by delivering entertaining, thought provoking, inspirational content that will uplift and appeal to women from all walks of life. “The show will encourage women to share, bond and dream BIG,” promises Parrish. ‎

http://womenthatsoar.com/catherine-monson/