76. Breaking Barriers: Women Making Waves in the Collision Repair Industry with Petra Schroeder

Your Business Your Life

The collision repair industry has long been a male-dominated space. And the stigma that women are not as strong or capable as men poses challenges for women who aspire to make their mark in it.

Fortunately, the number of females in the workforce is slowly increasing. And some female mentors have successfully navigated their way through the industry – proving that women can leverage their unique skill sets to demonstrate their value to the business.

With patience, perseverance, and passion for their job, women can achieve great success and help break down barriers in the male-centric field of collision repair.

Join Matt DiFrancesco and Petra Schroeder, one of the most influential women in the collision repair industry and a trustee of the Collision Repair Industry Foundation, as they talk about how women can break the stigma and have successful careers in the collision repair business and how the industry can benefit from of the strengths that women in the workforce have to offer.

They talk about:

(05:22) What’s impressive about the collision industry

(06:58) Petra’s advice for women who want to enter the collision industry

(09:03) What it means to be a first-class woman

(12:57) How can women define their personal brand

(17:01) How should an owner prepare his shop for when a female comes on board

(19:01) The value of having men and women work together

(22:25) The unique advantage of a female over a male business owner

Connect with Petra Schroeder

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-s-15261412/

Connect With Matt DiFrancesco:

[e-mail]

[phone]

LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancesco

LinkedIn: High Lift Financial

Facebook: High Lift Financial

Instagram: @high_lift_financial

Youtube: @highliftfinancial

About Our Guest:

Petra Schroeder started her career in 1969 in Germany as an apprentice at Herberts, a chemical company. In 1995, she decided to join the American Standox team and had several opportunities to work in various positions with the DuPont Performance Coatings and Axalta company.

Upon retirement in 2016, she realized that her passion for the industry was much more profound than she thought, so she decided to stay engaged and involved.

Petra has been a member of the Women Industry Network since its inception in 2006 and proudly served as its chair from 2016 to 2018 and its Immediate Past chair until May 2019. She currently serves as a trustee/secretary of the Collision Industry Foundation and is a member of the executive, fundraising, and marketing committee.

She has received several industry awards, including Most Influential Woman in 2018 by the Women’s Industry Network and the March Taylor Kina’ole Award from the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. In 2021, Petra became an inductee to the Collision Industry Hall of Eagles.

Petra considers herself a "Collisionista," which is a fantasy word derived from "Collision," ending with a female version (similar to Fashion/Fashionista).