According to national statistics, approximately 9% of automotive sales people are supposed to be women. There must be a disproportionate number elsewhere, because I sure have not seen any evidence of this in Colorado.
Here are the stories of two women Ilocatedin the north Metro area over the last couple of weeks.
Even though it is Memorial Day Monday, Auto Broker Arlene Ott of Centennial Sales and Leasing (aott1@comcast.net or 303-231-2154) is out and about, eager to help the next client find just the right Pre-Owned or new car, truck, van or SUV. We met in between her appointments at the Starbucks at US 287 and Miramonte, in Broomfield. Ms Ott works out of the Westminster Centennial Sales and Leasing office, on Turnpike Drive, and reports that she started out in the car business in 1973, in the parts department of a now-defunct Mercedes dealership. I found Arlene through my computer guru, Steve Kessler of DenverDataMan.
Arlene next spent a year estimating for a body shop, then took what she thought would an interim job selling cars… and 27 years later decided to leave the German luxury import dealerships behind to become an auto broker. What does her job entail? "My customers donapostrophet have to go to the dealership at all - I give them that service of having someone else take care of them." Arlene says she acts as a personal shopper, searching for the best trade-in value, analyzing credit applications and bringing the right new vehicle in - a process that can take days to weeks. She attributes her success to being willing to do whatever it takes, to get the process just right for her clients.
Arlene loves to meet new people and is active in both the Metro North Chamber of Commerce and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. She enjoys writing and spending time with her Australian Shepherd when she is not helping other people find their dream car.