CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Despite a slight upward trend, women still make up less than a quarter of the automotive industry, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Chapel Hill Tire, however, is striving to change that. Founded in 1953, Chapel Hill Tire operates nine locations throughout North Carolina, and president Marc Pons has created a culture of inclusion for women.
In fact, he credits that culture for playing a key role in the company's success.
"Seven years ago we reached a growth ceiling point," Pons said. "I was very frustrated because no matter what I tried, I couldn't get above it. I started to look around, and the people who were doing the best and growing the most weren't talking about tire units or profit margins or gross profits — they were talking about their culture."
"If we wanted to get to the next level and build the kind of company we wanted to build, we had to start investing in our culture," he said.
From that point on, creating a work environment that welcomed all types of people and ideas became Chapel Hill Tire's primary focus.
Across the company, 14 women are members of the Chapel Hill Tire team, including three technicians. One of Pons' family members, Jaclyn Burns, is the firm's controller, making her a member of the leadership team.
Lauren Kleckowski, Chapel Hill's accounting bookkeeper, knows what it's like to work in an environment that doesn't value women as it does men, and how starkly Chapel Hill stands out from the rest.
"I've worked for some companies where that's not the sense in the business, and it's really disheartening," Kleckowski said.
"To be in a male-dominated industry and still have the sense that my opinions and views matter, and that I have something new to bring to the table that nobody else has thought of yet is very unique to the culture we have here.
"Until you experience the other side of it, you don't realize how important it is to be heard," she said.
Diversity is one of the key pillars to Chapel Hill Tire's success, something that Kleckowski is well-versed in as the head of their Diversity Equity Inclusion committee.
On the importance of having a diverse staff, she said, "If you have an all-male staff, or if you're not diverse, it's hard to relate to your customers who are diverse.
"Having women at the different stores brings a fresh perspective. A lot of female customers would gravitate toward them, which I think is something they hadn't seen before, and there was a sense of comfort in that."
On this same topic, Pons added, "It's about delivering great customer service. It takes a diversity of people because you're dealing with a diversity of people."
Presleigh Anderson, manager of Chapel Hill's Atlantic Avenue shop, is living her dream.
She has wanted to operate her own shop since she was 16, and she feels as if Chapel Hill Tire has given her just that.
"Even though I'm not the owner, I still have a group of people I'm able to lead, empower and help grow, which is giving me all the same experiences I was hoping for," she said.
Kleckowski warns others who might balk at women in the industry to "get out of the way."
"We're coming up and you can either have us on board and grow with us, or you can be stagnant and sit on the sidelines and watch us grow," she said.
Anderson has some advice for women who are considering a career in the industry.
"If you're passionate about it, push everyone out of the way," she said. "Don't make them an obstacle, and change everyone's mind. I love what I'm doing, and if it's what you love and it's going to make you happy, go for it."
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].