While collision repair is still largely a male industry, increasing numbers of women have entered the body shop, both as owners and even technicians.
At NACE on Thursday, a group of leading women in the repair industry converged for a panel discussion, "Successful Shop Ownership: Tips from Women Owners of Thriving Shops," to share stories about their business strategies and some of the challenges they've faced within the industry.
Kim White, district sales manager with FinishMaster, moderated the panel that included Camille Eber, owner of Roth & Miller Autobody in Portland, Ore.; Geralynn Kottschade, owner of Jerry's Body Shop in Mankato, Minn.; Carolyn Coquillette, owner of Luscious Garage in San Francisco; and Jennifer Justice-Haley, owner of Valley Paint & Body in Amelia, Ohio.
Several of the panel members also participate in the Women's Industry Network (WIN), an association of women in the collision industry.
"It's changed since I first started," Kottschade says. "Originally a lot of women just stayed in the background and didn't collect a paycheck. Now women are accepting more responsibility, and are right up front in the shop."
Kottschade, who operates the shop with her husband, says that many challenges that existed in the past for women in the industry have fallen by the wayside.
"I'm treated pretty well," Kottschade says. "A long time ago the parts vendors could be a bit snotty and mean if a woman called in for a parts order. They'd make me jump through a lot of hoops. But it's not like that anymore."
Eber, however, says that her gender hasn't played much of a role in the challenges she's faced, or her successes.
"I've always been of the mind that my success or failure doesn't have anything to do with me being a woman," she says. "My success is based on whatever level of commitment or persistence that I put into the effort, combined with my abilities and knowledge."
The panel also discussed 20 Group membership, insurance issues, employee relations, implementing Lean business practices and crisis management.
Since many of the women on the panel work in family-run businesses, White asked about the issues surrounding working with family members.
"It can be challenging," Eber says, noting that she works with two of her nephews and one of their wives at her shop. She and her oldest nephew, who is positioned to take over the business eventually, have butted heads numerous times, and even consulted with a family business psychologist and a local state college program to help work out their differences.
"That confirmed we're polar opposites in the way we process information and approach people," she says. "Once we figured that out and reached an agreement that these differences could be a benefit to us and enhance the business, things got a lot better."
As for advice to other shop owners, Eber (who is a second-generation owner) said women should educate themselves in the industry and in business operation principles.
"Do everything you can to get educated," she says. "Take some accounting and management classes. And just learn about the body shop business. Although my parents started the shop, I didn't know much about it until I was actually in the business. I didn't know what blending a panel was or anything about removing adhesive until I went out and asked questions."
