Archive for the ‘Introducing AutoGirls’ Category

www.AskPatty.com and Janes-list.com helping women!

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Van Nuys Blvd. download

Changing a tire or using a power drill doesn’t have to be “a man’s job”. AskPatty.com and Janes-list.com are two websites that may have the woman in the house changing the oil.

Brüno the movie

The Ugly Duckling and Me!

The Year Without a Santa Claus psp The NeverEnding Story on dvd

AskPatty.com is dedicated to teaching women about the automotive industry. The site reports the majority of car buyers are female. While they maybe the majority, many are admittedly not the best informed.

“I know nothing about cars, basically, it has four wheels, that’s basically it,” said Kara Falsetti of Wilmington.

Askpatty aims to help. The website has put together a panel of 50 experts from the automotive industry to offer women advice and tips on some of the challenges, such as finding the right car, negotiating price, and checking the oil and tires.

Manderlay download A local website launched last month is also devoted to women.  Janes-list.com is for military wives whose husbands have been deployed.

Kelly Stivers is one of the founders. “We’ve lived through a lot of the challenges that military wives face every day and we really wanted to create a go-to resource for them, the kind of resource that we never had.”

Janes-list.com offers advice on everything from using power tools, to staying busy while your husband’s overseas. The site also focuses on helping military wives find jobs.

“It’s very difficult for people to find a job in today’s economy and what people don’t realize is other military wives, they face that challenge in a good economy because depending on where they’re stationed, there may not be a lot of opportunities that are open and available that match their background and experience,” said Kelly Stivers.

Kara Falsetti said these two websites help her feel more knowledgeable and in control. “It’d make me feel more powerful, more like ‘yeah I got this’.” ?????? ??? ??????????? ???

You can follow Janes-list on Twitter. Right now, they’re talking about 101 things to send an overseas husband. They’re releasing ten items a week for ten weeks.

"Selling a Car, Speak to the Missus" from the Wall Street Journal

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Green Eyed Monster film Five Minutes of Heaven full I received a phone call from the Women’s Car Care Council the other day. They wondered if I would speak with a reporter who wanted to interview some women from the automotive industry.

wall street journal

Penelope divx

Emily Flitter from Front Lines wrote, “Women influence 95% of auto purchases overall, yet many still feel uncomfortable buying a car. Thanks to a handful of women working on the inside, the automotive industry is changing. Have we entered the age of “female-friendly” car dealerships and service centers? “

To read the rest of the story click HERE

Judy Mirro, President of Women's Riding School

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
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Judy on a bikeI‘d like to introduce you to one of my favorite people! Judy Mirro and I got to know each other in College {Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondack Mountains in New York} and both ended up living in Vermont.
Judy is one of the most energetic, brilliant, hard working and wild woman that I know. She totally works hard and plays hard. I took her skiing back in 1982 and little did I know she would turn into a mogul maniac. She loves speed, and it’s no wonder that she bought her first motorcycle back in 1978.

Her first bike was a Honda 175cc and now she drives a ‘96 Ducati 900 Supersport and has two BMWs. Judy was a self-taught rider. In 1990 she took a “Experienced Rider Course” and was recruited to become an instructor and has been teaching ever since.

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The Women’s Riding School, LLC was established for women {novice to expert riders, Harley’s to Honda’s, dirt bikes to big cruisers} to have a safe leaning environment. They focus on fun, safety and education with a low student to instructor ratio {one instructor for every one to three students

} to ensure everyone gets the attention they need. The classes are held once a year at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

  • Increase your confidence on the road
  • Improve your cornering skills
  • Master your braking
  • Improve your visuals leads
  • Learn new ways to enjoy motorcyclinggroup

Classes this year are on July 28th. For more info: contact Judy at 802-223-9270 or go online to read articles and there are even videos of the school so you will be able to get a feel for how cool this event is.

Judy is the real thing. Not only is she the president and owner of the Women’s Riding School, but she is also a nationally certified Motorcycle Safety Instructor, has taught cycling safety courses for the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles for over ten years, she started racing and became a licensed RoadRacer at age 38. “It really is never too late,” says Judy. “I enjoy leading by example and encouraging women that they can do it all.” Judy is also a “moto-journalist” with assignments as Roadrace Editor and a Test Rider.

Amy: Your favorite Test Ride?

Judy: A new , Honda RC51 for a 160-180 mph “spin” around the Laguna Seca Raceway. It was the longest and fastest I had ever ridden. “I drive about 130 miles per day commuting from home to work and back on my 2002 BMW R1150RS. I ride through rain or shine from April through November – as long as there is no ice on the road.

Amy: Do you wear anything special for riding?

Judy: Absolutely! I wear a full leather suit or a synthetic riding suit and always were a full face SNELL-approved helmet, which gets replace every five years for safety’s sake. Motorcycle gloves and boots are worn no matter what the weather. [Find out why it is important to change your helmet every 5 years]

Nim’s Island movies

Amy: What does the riding school consist of?

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Judy: The day consists of a morning track walk, classroom instruction, lots of on-course riding and elective infield exercises. To top this off, there is a Meet-N-Greet dinner party the night before, raffle prizes, goodie bags, a track photographer to get you in action, a healthy lunch and a day of meeting and networking with some fabulous women riders.

Amy: Are there any other women’s motorcycle schools in the USA?

Judy: Unfortunetly no. The WRS is the only school in the US. We have used the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. as our home course for 12 years now. We have had women fly/ride in from CA, FL, VA, MI, etc. My hope is to get some big sponsors and take the school on the road. Then we could make this more accessible for more women who are looking to further their rider education and safety level.

For more information go to www.womensridingschool.com

Car Care Councils Women's Summer Board Meeting in Boston

Friday, June 6th, 2008

The Women’s Board had their summer meeting at the brand new hotel ‘InterContinental Boston’ June 4-5. Talk about a classy hotel with really good food, these women know how to work in style.

The Lady Vanishes rip

Women’s Board

The meeting started out by having a Speed Networking Session. They had two rows of chairs facing each other and each AutoGirl has 2.5 min. to introduce herself to her partner, exchange business cards, contacts and information. Then one row would move down a seat and the speed networking would start all over. With over 40 women all talking at once you can be sure the energy was high and the volume was loud. It was a fun way to meet new people and catch up with old friends.

We had great speakers and did a lot of work during our committee meetings. But the highlight of this trip for me was “The Duck Tour.” We were driven around Boston in an authentic World War II amphibious landing vehicle, renovated for sightseeing. It’s kind of big and awkward on land. How we didn’t run into curbs, signs and cars on the narrow streets of Boston is a tribute to our driver. When it splashes into the Charles River and turns into a boat, it is still big and awkward but is really fun to putt-putt along in, especially if you get to drive one like I did.

Duck Boat

Amy Drives the duck

I thought I was something special until I came home and was bragging to the automotive technicians in my shop about my Duckness, and Jim tells me his 9 year old daughter got to drive a Duck during her class trip to Boston. Well a least the AutoGirls were impressed, and it was way fun being at the helm of a DuckBoat.

We always have great speakers at these meetings. My two favorite speakers were Barry Steinberg, President of Direct Tire & Auto Service, and John Passante of Organizational Development Group.

In this girl’s opinion, Barry Steinberg is “The King

” of Independent Tire Sales and Automotive Service. He should become a consultant or write a book when he retires from running his four shops, because he has a great deal to teach this industry about what quality service is and how to implement this in the front end, the back end and how to get the staff to buy into being the best they can be. If you live near Watertown, MA., I would invite you to check out their superior automotive service at www.directtire.com.

{Can you read the sign over the door? “We’ll Fix It So It Brakes” They even have a sense of humor when they explain what they do}

Creature from the Black Lagoon movie full

Robin Hood release

Barry Steinbergs shop

They also have a very cool feature on their website called the Learning Center. You should check it out, there are moving diagrams and explanations on Brakes / Tires & Wheels / Alignment Topics / Suspension Systems.

John Passante is what I would call a motivational speaker. What makes him special is his 30+ years of experience in the Automotive Aftermarket. He has worked in manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing, human resources and administration. This makes him a valuable consultant and executive coach.

JP

He spoke to us about leadership. How the behavior and method of communication at the top sets the tone of any businesses culture. Leadership is about influencing, impacting and mentoring people to excel and letting them help to make changes that will make a more successful company.

What do you think the Automotive Industry needs in terms of good leadership to turn this industry around?

10,000 BC buy

Car Care Council Women's Board Meeting in Orlando

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

One of my favorite AutoGirl organizations is the Car Care Council Women’s Board. It is comprised of very savy professional women (and some men) from various automotive industries such as: motor sports, service shop owners, writers, associations, company executives and consultants.

Flawless move

The Lady Vanishes release

The goal of the Council is two-fold: We encourage women to learn how to maintain their vehicles so they are safe and their vehicle is reliable; and to let other women know about all the great career opportunities for them in the automotive parts and service industry.

We have two meetings per year, and our 2008 winter meeting took place in Orlando Florida. The weather was beautiful (my feet were so happy to be out of boots and into flip-flops) and the company was fabulous. It is always so nice to hang out with other AutoGirls from around the country from various automotive industries. It’s always a good time and I come away from these meetings inspired and full of new ideas.

We did a lot of networking, went on the “Disney by Design” tour, ate a lot of yummy food and had some great educational speakers.

Mickey and Minnie

Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot a U.S. space shuttle opened our meeting, and the keynote speaker was Bud Bilanich, “The Common Sense Guy,” who gave us practical tips for success.

Kelly Williams

Kelly Williams was my favorite speaker of the event. Born and raised in Canada, she has been driving race cars for over fifteen years. This petite spunky lady competed in the CASCAR Super Series, the most prestigious arena for stock car auto racing in Canada. Today she travels around the world with the Champcar Series as a Pace Car Driver. Kelly is also the spokesperson for the Car Care Canada’s Be Car Care Aware campaign. She told me if I ever get to Toronto she would give me a “good-ride” around the track. Now you know where I’m planning one of my summer road-trips! For more information on Kelly, go to her website at www.kellywilliamsracing.com

The Car Care Council has created this fabulous 56-page automotive guide that covers nine major services and twelve various components of and automobile, plus the real service recommendations that you need to have done to your vehicle to keep it safe and reliable. You can download for FREE at www.carcare.org/car_care?guide/consumer.asp

car care guide cover

Do you know any AutoGirls that the world should know about?

Amy Mattinat: How I became an AutoGirl

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

I did not grow up working on cars. My father did not own an auto repair shop; he was an insurance salesman who preferred spending time at the golf course to doing any work around the house.

I have always loved cars. Secretly driving around the block at age 14 helped me be a seasoned driver by the time driver education rolled around. My high school motor-head boyfriend took me to the races on weekends and let me pretend to be a race car driver sitting behind the wheel of his motor-head car.

But, there were no opportunities for me in the automotive world. So, I went to college for Hotel Restaurant Management and had a catering business for over 14 years.

Everything changed when I had my baby. I quickly realized that babies and catering did not mix. I knew that if I was going to stay sane, I was going to have to either hire a nanny to raise my child or become a stay at home mom with a very part-time job. Well I didn’t wait 34 years to have a child to hand her over to someone else to raise, so I hung up my apron! I wrote down all my skills and put a dollar amount of what I could make beside them. The biggest bang for the buck was bookkeeping.

I got a job as the bookkeeper at the Auto Repair shop that I took my car in for service and repairs. It was great fun hanging around the shop. I drove the auto technicians crazy with all my questions, and the trade magazines laying around (Brake & Front End, Under Car Digest, etc.) were so interesting I would take them home and read them from cover to cover. Slowly I learning the how’s, why’s, when’s and where’s of cars.

The owner kept finding me talking to his customers about things like: why it was important to the health of their car to get a cooling system power flush, what a brake job entailed, why they should rotate their tires every other oil change, etc. So much so, that he asked me if I would like a full time job as the Service Advisor. This is the point person for any repair shop or dealership. They answer the telephone, check people in the morning, call to explain what was needed to do the job, order parts and check people out after the job was completed.

What a great job! It was fast paced, full of variety, incredible social, and I was helping people keep their families safe and their cars reliable as they cruised on down the road.

I thought we should be busier and took a bunch of marketing, business and operation classes. We joined the CinRon Automotive Pinnacle Group. This is a Mastermind group of 80 of the Best, Top Notch Independent Repair shops from around the country with two fabulous consultants to teach all the latest and greatest. I was traveling four times a year to learn more and more about running a successful auto repair shop. The business doubled in size and the owner of the business asked me to be his business partner.

Now I was a female auto repair shop owner. How cool is that! This totally motivated me. I now wanted to not only help my customers, but wanted to reach out and help everyone, everywhere.

So I started writing.

I started off writing a monthly auto care newsletter to my client base. Then Vermont Women Magazine asked me if I could write a regular automotive column which we named “Under The Hood”. I was getting such great feedback that I added free reports and helpful checklists to the shops website www.autocraftsmen.com.

Then I noticed a re-occurring problem. Customers would purchase a used car without taking advantage of our Used Car Inspection Service. They had an amateur mechanic friend or relative look over the car to determine if it was worth the money. Then they would come into our shop and say, “I need an oil change, and would you have a tech check out that weird noise in the front end?” I would send it on back and would cringe when one of the techs would call me into the bays because they wanted to show me something.

Next would come the dirty deed. I had to be the one to tell them, “We are not going to do the oil change on your car, because that funny noise in the front end will cost about $600 to fix and it’s not really worth fixing with everything else we found wrong on it.”

Then it would happen. They would either yell at me or start crying. UH, I hated this!

I wanted to fix this re-occurring problem. I wanted to make a difference. So, I wrote a step-by-step, fill in the blank workbook: How to Buy a GREAT Used Car. I got such great feedback from the hard copy that I created a PDF version that could be download it immediately of the our website

The next logical step was to create a How To Buy A Great Used Car Class. I practiced by going into driver education classes and then branched out to a variety of groups. I was able to get this important information in front of people BEFORE they handed over their hard earned money on an unworthy vehicle.

I still felt I wasn’t reaching enough people. So I put together a class and a turn-key kit for other Auto Repair Shops so they could be the Used Car Experts in their communities. I teach how important it is to educate the public about buying a used car, how to give a thorough used car inspection, and give the information consumers need to buy a Great Used Car! Now there are over 60 other repairs shops around the country helping to spread the word!

My book got the attention of The Women’s Car Care Council (www.women.carcare.org). They asked me to speak at their annual meeting in the summer of 2006, and then asked me to join the education committee of the board of the WCCC. Now I am working with other women in the automotive industry to encourage women to become active vehicle maintainers; and to promote career opportunities for women in the automotive parts and service industry.

This got the attention of Jody DeVere, one of the brilliant minds behind www.AskPatty.com . She asked me to be on her panel of Automotive Expert Women.

I now start my day off by answering questions about buying used cars, automotive repair and maintenance from women around the country. I send her copies of my automotive articles and the one on Fuel Economy got the attention of National Public Radio. I was asked to be a guest expert on Talk of the Nation with Neil Cohan and was able to reach thousands of people and teach them how to get better fuel economy with their automobiles.

Bedazzled film

Being on national radio made me dream BIG! Wouldn’t it be a great idea & a lot of FUN to have an automotive TV show? Give folks a visual way to learn automotive tips to keep their families safe while driving down the road of life. I could use the help of all my automotive expert connections from around the country and we could give them the information they need to make informed decisions. Thus, Amy’s Garage was born!

If you’re an AutoGirl… how did you get in the business?