The National Automobile Dealers Assoc. annual show was several months ago, but members can still find plenty of support and strategies in its Women Driving Auto Retail initiative.
The group – active on Facebook and in other forums that include NADA members – kicked off in 2020 as a powerful platform to amplify the voices of women working in the auto industry, empowering them to make a significant impact.
“The number of women working in dealerships has hovered around 20% of overall employees for the last several years, and NADA identified the need for an initiative to help make change in the auto retail industry specifically,” Juliet Guerra, NADA’s senior director of media relations, tells WardsAuto. “NADA does not pretend to have the solutions to this problem, but it does have the platform to convene experts that do.”
Still, Guerra says NADA formed the group in 2020 to “develop solutions and strategies” to attract more women to the industry and ensure their voices are heard.
Guerra says the latest event attracted about 450 attendees, including male dealership leaders, industry representatives and vendors – all united in their support for the group’s mission. She expects that number to continue to grow, emphasizing the initiative’s inclusive nature.
“We put out regular content throughout the year – targeting all levels of dealership employees and industry advocates – highlighting women with successful careers in the industry and best practices to increase the number of women working in dealerships,” says Guerra. “There is also a private community on social media where women from various locations, tenures and positions share ideas and experiences.”
And the group boasts many success stories, including:
- A teenage runaway who got a job selling cars – now she’s a general manager.
- A single mom with subprime credit was surprised she could afford a vehicle, thanks to the tenacity of her salesperson. Now, she makes a quarter-million dollars a year selling cars, specializing in problem-solving for customers with subprime credit.
- A stay-at-home mom who returned to the workforce and started a second career in the dealership after her daughters were out of the house.
Click here for more information about the group and recent award winners.
