Two Barrie women have proven the automotive industry is not a 'boys only' club.
Danette Pihlaja has been working in parts and automotive service since her early 20s and said she was drawn to a career in the mostly male-dominated industry for a variety of reasons.
“I enjoy working with the public, I enjoy the automotive field and we fit well together,” said Pihlaja, who currently works as manager for OK Tire and Auto Service in Barrie’s east end.
“I was very tomboyish growing up and my dad took me everywhere with him. At that point I didn’t think I’d be in automotive, but in my early 20s I met a gentleman when I lived up north and he took me under his wing and trained me and it’s been great ever since.”
Pihlaja, who started in a family-owned service station more than 25 years ago, admits that while some “old mindsets” still exist about women in the industry, things have definitely improved over the years. She encourages anyone interested in the field not to be deterred.
“We aren’t bad at this location, but you still occasionally get the older person who is set in their ways. Honestly, as long as you’re truthful with them, it just takes the first visit to get through what they need done, and by the second or third visit, there’s never a question of your skills,” she said.
“It’s not as bad as it was 15 years ago.”
Like any other career, Pihlaja added, you are going to require perseverance to be successful.
“You are going to have to work inside your skill set… but if it’s what you want to do then you should follow your dreams,” she said, adding that to be successful in her job, you will require “good hands-on” skills and a good rapport with your service technician.
“We’ve all worked together at this location for a very long time so we have a very close infrastructure. There’s no hassles with one mechanic being arrogant or grumpy with you. It just doesn’t happen here, but it does at other places … so you have to have really good interpersonal skills in order to make this a successful venture for yourself," Pihlaja explained.
Michele Francis serves as Director of Operations and Personnel, as well as the financial officer and health and safety coordinator for the Blake Street business, and told BarrieToday a career in the automotive industry runs in the family.
“My father has been a technician since the day I was born. It’s been part of our blood for many years. He had a number of garages over the years and at one point had one that employed my brother when he was nine years old,” she said, adding she was 13 when she began working for her dad.
“It was quite unusual seeing a girl pumping gas back in the day and working for a garage," she said
Since then, Francis has become a bit of a “jack of all trades.”
“I like to tell everybody that I do everything but change oil around here,” she said. “I am behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly.”
Although Francis left the industry for several years - during which time she obtained a university degree in education - she ended up being drawn back in and said her experiences outside of the garage have helped her on a variety of levels in being able to communicate with people.
“I did leave for a number of years, but to be honest, I missed the smell of gas and oil, the smell of the garage and being around the noises that a typical garage makes when fixing vehicles .. and the camaraderie of people," she said.
"When the opportunity came up for me to come back - I’d since gotten my business degree, so I took on more of the background (role) to support the front line, as I call it.”
The road to success in any career is never easy, Pihlaja admitted, but adds that as long as you “work hard, be honest and are open to listening” you will succeed and shine in the automotive field.
