Vice President
Fred Beans Automotive Group
What is one of your proudest accomplishments of your career?
Our management team oversees more than 20 dealerships, our parts business and other operations, as well as nearly 1,800 employees. Our goal has been to provide clear direction for everyone involved despite our growth as a company. That helps us maintain consistency and uphold standards as we move forward, together, as a company. We remain connected and supportive, which is important for our success and our culture as a family-owned business. That culture means also treating customers, employees and community members as family.
Our team has relied on expertise and intuition, trusting one another and our people throughout the Fred Beans Automotive Group, to evolve and set trends, rather than react to them. We have prioritized promoting from within, providing opportunities for professional development, including leadership development.
Personally, I take great pride in seeing employees grow into management roles and develop into successful leaders in the company. I see great value in spending time as a mentor myself, as I have learned from remarkable mentors throughout my life.
What is your best advice to other women who want to excel in the automotive industry?
– Be knowledgeable: Educate yourself about the industry and its trends, technologies and advancements. Stay up to date on relevant news and developments to enhance your credibility.
– Embrace continuous learning: The automotive industry is constantly evolving. Remain open to new ideas and seek out information to stay ahead of trends and successfully adapt to changes. This is especially important for long-term success.
– Look outside of the industry for inspiration and advice: Better yourself by reading books, listening to podcasts and consulting with experts in various fields. This will help you grow competencies to lead, communicate, work as a team and develop a positive attitude regardless of what industry you are in.
– Build your network: Connect with professionals in the automotive industry through networking events and industry conferences. Have an expert you can call in each area of the business.
– Find mentors and/or role models: Find mentors who can share their experiences, advice and own career paths so you can learn from their successes and mistakes and devise your own career plan.
– Be confident and assertive: Believe in your abilities and value. Speak up and contribute your ideas.
– Put yourself out there: Be the first one to shake hands, smile and connect with someone. This business is all about people, so start meeting them.
– Build resilience: The automotive industry can be demanding and competitive. Develop resilience to overcome obstacles, learn from failures and persevere in pursuing your goals.
– Support and uplift other women: Encourage and support other women interested in joining the industry.
– Embrace your strengths: Own them and demonstrate how they make the workplace stronger. For example, as a mom of four, I know I am good at multitasking. That’s a huge strength to embrace in this industry. Another one that I think I’ve honed from being a mom is decisiveness. I am comfortable jumping in to deal with any issue in the moment. I give it great thought, but I don’t overthink it so we can make decisions and then move on to keep moving forward.