Press & News

Posted on March 13, 2017 - Press

Jody DeVere: Building a bridge between women and auto industry

Jody DeVere, CEO of AskPatty.com, says her passion for the auto industry started early—growing up in Southern California’s car culture, being raised by an engineer father and marrying into an automotive family. So when she began consulting in 2000, after more than 20 years working in the high-tech world, it was not surprising “that 80 percent of my clients were in automotive,” she says. She had an eye-opening experience during a rebranding effort for one client. “My idea was to… Read more »

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Posted on February 27, 2017 - Press

Why Aren’t There More Women General Managers?

After a decade of progress of women gradually emerging as an important and recognized segment of contemporary automotive business, it is frustrating to read statistics stating that only 8% of women occupy key positions in our national automotive dealerships. (NADA Workforce Study – www.nada.org/workforcestudy) This study also reports that women still work in positions of 91% office and administrative support, with only 18.5% total in the dealerships. These are disappointing statistics, especially considering the extensive efforts and achievements by women… Read more »

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Posted on February 21, 2017 - Events, News, Press

Women in Automotive and She Buys Cars hosts “What Drives Her” Panel at the Chicago Auto Show 2017

Earlier this month during the Chicago Auto Show Media Preview, Women in Automotive and She Buys Cars hosted over 150 attendees at the “What Drives Her” luncheon and panel discussion. Experts included Bridget Brennan, Founder and CEO of Female Factor and Author of Why She Buys; Candice Crane, VP of Dealer Solutions at Hireology; Kathy Gilbert, Director of Sales and Business Development at CDK Global; and Jody Hall, VP of the Automotive Market at Steel Market Development Institute. The powerful… Read more »

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Posted on February 13, 2017 - Events, News, Press

Women in Automotive Expands Impact in 2017 – Adds West Coast Conference

Orlando, FL – Women in Automotive (WIA), an organization founded to accelerate the role of women in the automotive industry, is expanding its annual conference to two venues with the addition of a West Coast location in 2017. This year’s schedule kicks off with WIA’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, July 9-11. This is the third straight year Orlando has hosted the event. The inaugural West Coast event is scheduled for December 10-11 in Palm Springs, CA. Women in Automotive… Read more »

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Posted on February 8, 2017 - Press

A ride in a Corvette leads to a lifetime of work in the car dealership business

Cheryl Bedford, the new chairperson of the California New Car Dealers Association, remembers the exact date she moved into the head office of Sunset Auto Center, a Chevrolet Buick dealership in the central California coastal town of Lompoc – January 10, 1983. “I was scared to death,” Bedford tells Automotive Buy Sell Report. Bedford overcame that fear and has successfully run the dealership for decades, with the help of her husband George. They don’t want to add any franchises, she… Read more »

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Posted on January 18, 2017 - Press

Northwood University Dealer Education Award – Eve Knudtsen Knudtsen Chevrolet

Congratulations to Eve Knudtsen recipient of the 2017 Northwood University Dealer Education Award during the Northwood University Dealer Education Awards Breakfast Saturday, January 28, 2017 during NADA 2017. We interviewed Eve Knudtsen who is the president of Knudtsen Chevrolet Co. in Post Falls, Idaho, to learn more about her path to success She is the third generation to own and operate the dealership her grandfather started in 1939. Eve grew up in Coeur d’Alene, graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School.… Read more »

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Posted on November 30, 2016 - Press

Community involvement and happy employees key to Marty’s auto dealerships’ success

To celebrate its recent grand opening, there were three days of events at Marty’s Chevrolet. They included serving local fare such as lobster rolls and clam chowder; live local music; and a live broadcast from the dealership by a local radio station. The dealership donated $10 to the local food bank in honor of every person who dropped in. It is all part of Christine Alicandro Karnolt’s philosophy of how a dealership should operate. “I want to help the communities… Read more »

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Posted on October 12, 2016 - Press

A Tennessee dealership group benefits from a woman’s touch

Katherine Johnson Cannata, dealer principal at Wyatt Johnson Auto Group in Clarksville, Tenn., never assumed she would take over the family business. Indeed, the Clarksville native left to go to college, got a degree in accounting, then worked in Atlanta. After they had a baby, she and her husband were ready to shift gears so they moved back to Clarksville. That same month, the Group’s controller quit. In September of 1999, Cannata begin working at Wyatt Johnson. “I loved it,”… Read more »

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Posted on October 10, 2016 - Events, Featured, Press

Calling All Men and Women in the Automotive Industry!

Want to be inspired to begin or advance your automotive journey? This conference presents a united, strong and empowering message that there is a place for Women in Automotive! Dealership Owners, HR Personnel, Salespeople, Service Writers, Administrators, Marketers and anyone else affiliated with the automotive industry will come away from this event with new information to help them further their careers, as well as those of their female counterparts. There’s Something for Everyone! Want to be inspired to begin or… Read more »

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Posted on September 28, 2016 - Press

Knudtsen Chevrolet tailors recruitment message to achieve diversity

Eve Knudtsen, who has a degree in automotive marketing from Northwood University, was working for General Motors in Detroit when she realized that her true calling was selling cars. She returned to Idaho to work at her family’s Chevrolet store. But being a woman, and the owner’s daughter, created some doubts among the long-time sales staff. “They thought I was just going to hang out until I found a husband,” says Knudtsen. “[But] in my mind, I was always going… Read more »

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