WORKFORCE IN ACTION

When answering the phones I still hear today, “Can I speak to someone in parts?” I politely say, “I am in parts, how can I help you?”

did everything. She taught me how to strip cars for the loads. I can remember cutting radiators out with a hack saw with the car or truck dangling on the loader forks. We did gas tank duty, which involved emptying tanks and throwing them in a big pile, and if you were lucky you got to go home that day smelling like a gas tank. I learned inventory; putting the tags on parts; filling out tags and putting the inventory away. I also pulled parts for sales and processed cores. I then learned the counter and was helping to answer phones and sell parts. Cherie also taught me about towing and together we would go on police calls.

I left Allied Auto around 1995, but returned in 2003 in the role of Operations Manager. When I started here at age of 13, I loved the idea of working with cars and was determined to let the boys know that women could work in the automo- tive industry and that we weren’t afraid to get dirty. The guys were a bit taken aback, jealous, and chal- lenged me throughout high school, but they learned quickly I was no dummy.

What brought me back years later? I needed a daytime job as a newly single mother, and David Wilusz, the current owner, needed some- one with salvage yard knowledge. I came back on the counter helping to sell parts, handle the bookkeeping and deliver parts, I went on to achieve my New Hampshire State Inspection License. I was thrilled to come back, and was in awe at how much the industry had changed. This business has always interested me. For me, the biggest challenge in the industry is being a woman. When answering the phones I still hear today, “Can I speak to someone in parts?” I politely say, “I am in parts, how can I help you?” Most customers are cool about a woman answering the phone, but there are those that challenge us. On the professional side, I find it hard sometimes in a group of men in this industry to get them to be positive rather than negative to be open to new ideas and changes.

I have encouraged the current owner to make changes like improving our website and social media outreach. Also, I have encouraged bringing on online tools to help market the inventory nation-

46 Automotive Recycling | November-December 2015

wide. We hired a new website designer and created a more professional and informative website for our customers. I added a newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to our online presence, which has helped us in gaining new customers and keeping our current customers.

My advice to any woman wanting to get in this industry is to have big shoulders and smile! Advice for anyone today – use social media and tune into your customers’ needs. That will make you successful. Be open to new ideas and don’t be left behind.

Mitzi Waterbury President

Sandhill Auto Salvage Tama, Iowa www.SandHillAutoSalvage.com 10 Years in the Industry

best use of a social work degree would be providing legendary customer service to used auto parts cus- tomers? But that experience has helped shape Mitzi Waterbury’s automotive salvage business, Sandhill Auto Salvage.

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Sandhill Auto Salvage was born out of the desire to offer better parts and better prices to local parts customers in Iowa. For over two generations, Sandhill built an excellent reputation by focusing on those goals daily. Owners Mitzi and Mike Waterbury are a husband and wife team who bring hard working family values to work every day. They are “hands on” working alongside the rest of the Sandhill team to deliver excellence in customer service, and they provide the staff guidance and focused leadership.

Stepping into the family business by marriage is always a challenge, as many women in the industry know firsthand. But since 1970, the auto salvage yard, built on integrity and not the bottom line, has been a trusted used auto parts providers in Iowa, so having a good reputation definitely makes a new- comer strive to maintain that level of excellence. Mitzi carries that philosophy to the human resource side of the business. Mitzi says, “Our entire team works together to ensure that no detail is overlooked when it comes to our customers and our parts.” The advice Mitzi offers others is that maintaining the professionalism as an auto recycler will set you apart from the competition and help to quell the

ho knew coming out of college that one day the