THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -

Revealed recently, DARCARS Automotive Group has been presented with the Certified Female Friendly Customer of the Year Award for 2011, which celebrates a business that has provided an exceptional environment for female car shoppers. 

Tammy Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive, was presented with the award by Paula Lombard, president of WEXCO Industries/AutoTex Pink, and Jody DeVere, chief executive officer of Ask Patty.

Officials also provided some background as to why Darvish was awarded the honor, as well as how the tradition began.

Lombard bought AutoTex Pink, a windshield wiper brand of which a portion of proceeds goes to the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Society of Canada in 2009.

And not long after, she partnered with Devere, a social media marketing to women expert, journalist, car care expert and safety spokesperson, and her team at AskPatty.com.

“Although mine and Jody’s end products are different, they complement each other. We both know the strength in the female influence, and we share common goals in making big changes,” says Lombard.

“What came out of each woman’s experiences was how to successfully market to women,” officials explained.

And what does it mean to be Certified Female Friendly?

“An AskPatty.com Certified Female Friendly Retailer creates a safe and comfortable environment where women feel welcome and make the experience of purchasing and maintaining her vehicle a pleasant one,” the company’s website stated.

“Ask Patty trained and certified retailers are held to a high level of customer satisfaction for women consumers,” officials continued.

And Darvish saw the value in adding to her business’ customer service efforts by making her locations Certified Female Friendly.

Commenting on the award, Darvish had this to say: “We realize that over 90 percent of the decisions to purchase and/or service a vehicle are influenced by women, so we feel it is important to partner with female friendly companies in the industry to make their experience a positive one.”

And along with adopting the Ask Patty program, DARACARS also took on the AutoTex Pink product line to offer to their customers.

“The response received was outstanding, with the AskPatty program making inroads in the minds of installers and dealers everywhere, and AutoTex Pink’s proven track record, it has proven itself to grow the AutoTex Pink program 80 perent year over year since its inception, and allowed an over $50,000 donation the breast cancer charities,” officials shared.

And DeVere concluded by congratulating Darvish on the accomplishment.

"The American Marketing Association states 40 percent of women versus 30 percent of men were more likely to buy a product or service if they knew that a certain amount of the purchase price was being donated directly to a cause or campaign. The combination of delivering a Certified Female Friendly experience and the opportunity to purchase AutoTexPink wiper blades and benefit breast cancer research resonates with women car buyers,” said  DeVere.

"Congratulations to Tammy Darvish and her team at DARCARS Automotive for creating a culture that wows women!" she concluded.