There are more women employed in the collision repair industry than ever, and there is a wealth of opportunities available to them, says Business Development Manager Michelle (Gipe) Bourke. She’s one of the fourth-generation owners of Gipe Auto Color, which will host its first Women’s Industry Night, Wed., March 11, at the Gipe Auto Color Learning Center, at 6113 Preston Hwy. in Louisville, Ky.
Laura Gay, owner of Collision Consultants of Florida, will be guest speaker for Gipe Auto Color’s Women’s Industry Night.
“Women have strengths they may not realize until they get into the industry, such as that many are really good at matching colors, or because many have great attention to detail, they could excel at estimating,” Bourke says. “There’s strength in numbers, and I think the more that women can share with each other about what they do and how they got to where they are, the better it will be for all of us.”
Laura Gay, owner of Collision Consultants of Florida, will be guest speaker for the event. Self- made, Gay has a motivating success story as a woman in the collision repair industry. Focused and determined to earn the resources needed to get through college, she delivered for a paint jobber by day, washed cars at a car dealership in the evenings, and worked at a florist on the weekends until she was offered an opportunity at a body shop. Working her way up, she quickly went on to manage the shop before accepting offers to work in the insurance industry and eventually purchased two body shops. After selling them just a few years later, she was able to retire at the age of 43.
“Laura’s experience as a woman in the industry is invaluable. She is going to help us explore opportunities, overcome obstacles, and share all the latest industry trends,” Bourke continues. “We want to take some time to educate the women in the industry in our area and also talk
about ways that they've overcome any sort of adversity,” Bourke says. This is a night you don’t want to miss!”
Bourke says with the ever-changing market, many owners and managers are looking for out-of- the-box marketing ideas.
“Fresh perspectives and creativity could be of great value to shops today. Many women have that creative side that can provide such contributions. If you’re an estimator or if you’re a detailer and you’re a woman in the industry, you may not know that your boss might be racking his brain thinking of a new marketing gimmick. We hope to be able to give women the tools they need to know what's going on in 2020. They could not only help the industry but better their career.”
Women’s Industry Night is open to all women in the collision repair industry within Gipe Auto Color’s market, regardless if they are Gipe customers. Happy hour will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. EDT, with Laura’s program immediately following until 8:00 p.m. Spots are filling quickly. Please RSVP Michelle Gipe Bourke at (270) 929-0237 or [email protected].
About Gipe Auto Color
Gipe Auto Color Inc. has nine locations serving Kentucky, southern Indiana, northern Tennessee, and southwest Illinois, is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated business making honesty, loyalty, and respect the pillars of its business. Gipe Auto Color has been a PPG Platinum Distributor since the inception of the program in 1995 and was awarded PPG Platinum Distributor of the Year for 2012. Gipe Auto Color’s mission is to establish mutually beneficial relationships with its customers by providing customer-focused services, products, and business solutions.
For more information, please contact Michelle Gipe Bourke at [email protected] or visit our website at http://www.gipeautocolor.com. Find us on Facebook @gipeautocolor.
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