I can still remember the look of horror on my father's face when I announced that rather than sign up for college, I was taking some time off from school to work at a family friend's automotive repair shop. For the next few months, every day after work while at the dinner table, he would ask me when I planned to sign up for nursing school. The year was 1977, and I can count on one hand the number of women I encountered while working at my employer's shop. The industry was definitely male-dominated. Nonetheless, I fell in love with the world of vehicle repair; I also met my husband while working at this shop.

Eventually we married and opened a shop of our own. To quench my thirst for learning about vehicles I attended many training classes, most of the time being the only woman in attendance. These experiences helped me build a strong foundation for a challenging industry.

Some of the few women I encountered in my early days in automotive service are still in the business today: several parts counter specialists, an owner of a battery company, an insurance appraiser and a body shop owner. I have a few good "female" horror stories from the "early" days still vivid in my memory. One includes a female customer that came to my shop because of the experience she had had at the last shop she visited. She had an air conditioning concern. The comment she got was, "women run hotter than men" and that's why the air conditioning did not feel cool to her after he repaired the vehicle's system. Or the new car salesman that would not sell my customer a new car until she brought her husband in for his approval.

As my company grew and as I became more involved in the industry, I broadened my acquaintances. I became involved in the Car Care Council and got in on the ground floor of its Women's Board. The goal of the Women's Board is twofold: To encourage women to become active vehicle maintainers and to provide career opportunities for women in the parts and service industry.

CREATING AN IMPACT