Meet The Women of Prestige Imports

Although Kathy arrived at Prestige Imports approximately one year ago, she’s been involved with the automotive industry for the past twenty-five years. She brings her considerable experience to the dealership, heading up the Accounting Department. “I’m here to protect the assets of the business,” she says, “whether its the cash, the facility, or the people.” In order to protect those assets, she produces financial statements, ensures that the dealership adheres to governmental regulations, and oversees the submission of reports and payroll, just to name a few of her duties.

During the past twenty-five years, Kathy has noticed an alteration in the demographics of the automotive industry: “It’s become more woman-friendly,” she says, “When I first started, it was definitely a man’s world. But I think it’s just a change of the times—woman have become more prominent in industries that they previously had not, not only in automotive.”

As with many of the employees at Prestige, Kathy enjoys working at the dealership because of the people who surround her: “Management works as a team,” she says, “and they treat their people right.” The respect management shows for its employees permeates throughout the company, extending all the way to customer relations, which “makes a big difference” for everyone involved.

Outside of Prestige, Kathy is a wife and mother who enjoys spending time with her family. She’s also an avid Denver Broncos fan and likes to watch their games on Sundays.

Six months ago, Jeanette Cormier started working at Prestige Imports, but she’s been employed with Braman (the dealership’s parent company) since 2013. As to why she’s involved with the automotive industry, she says, “I really like cars”; specifically, she appreciates the “work that goes into making them” and the manner in which the “product is constantly evolving.”

Regarding her career in the accounting field, Jeanette mentions that her “mom was an accountant, and [her] parents owned their own company.” To this extent, she was able “to work with her when [she] was younger.” Her experience with accounting when growing up led her to pursue a degree in the field. “I enjoy the work I do because it’s challenging and different everyday.”

As far as her position at Prestige Imports, she is an Accounts Payable representative. In this role, Jeanette “posts factory invoices and pays all of our vendors.” During her tenure with Braman, though, she also has gained experience in the Accounting Department with titles, tags, billing, warranties, as well as enrollments and cancellations. “That’s why I’ve stayed with Braman,” she says, “because they’ve given me a lot of opportunities to grow and make myself a more well-rounded employee.”

When not crunching the numbers at the dealership, she enjoys spending time with her dog (a husky-mix named Miles) and participating in outdoor activities. An avid skier, Jeanette enjoys heading up to Breckenridge for its “mix of terrain and levels of difficulty.” As far as hiking, some of her favorite locations are Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Although she has only been with Prestige Imports for two years, Susie Gentry brings forty years of experience in the automotive industry to the dealership. During that time, she has fostered many friendships, which is how she ended up at Prestige. In fact, it’s the relationships Susie has developed that keep her in the industry.

To this extent, one aspect of the Prestige Imports experience that Susie appreciates is the manner in which the dealership focuses on its employees. For example, General Manager Justin Adis “carries around a box of doughnuts and offers them to each individual employee” on Doughnut Fridays.

Susie has noticed a shift over the course of her career regarding the type of duties and positions that women hold in the industry. Specifically, she notes the influx of women within the Parts and Service Department. Overall, she attributes this change to the fact that, to her mind, female employees can “recognize what a customer wants” more readily than male employees.

When not at work, Susie creates works of art that combine traditional artistic materials (e.g. paint and canvas) with organic material found outdoors, such as bark, weeds, and trunk slices. Additionally, she and her husband enjoy traveling the world.

Jeanette Gonzales has worked in the automotive industry since 1982 and has been with Prestige Imports for the past three years. Throughout her career, Jeannette has witnessed many changes in the world of car sales. Specifically, she’s noticed a trend toward customer service and satisfaction that wasn’t readily apparent in her earlier years. Prestige Imports “takes care of their customers,” Jeanette says, offering them extras, such as a “valet service that will bring them to and from the dealership.” In other words, the dealership “will do what it takes to make customers happy.”

The self-proclaimed “money girl” of Prestige Imports, Jeanette handles all the contracts between customers, banks, and the dealership in order to ensure that vehicle purchases and financing runs smoothly, quickly, and without error. Although much of her work occurs behind the scenes and away from the show room floor, Jeanette realizes that “without the proper paperwork” no sale could be finalized.

When not at Prestige Imports, Jeanette, who is a mother of three children, plays horseshoes competitively. During the past fourteen years, she has traveled across both the state and the country to compete in sanctioned events. Most recently, she visited Topeka, Kansas for the Horseshoe World Tournament. She is proud to say she is a G class world champion.

Brittany has been in and out of the automotive industry since 2007. She arrived at Prestige Imports in 2013, though, when she decided to leave the accounting side of the business in order to pursue a profession in sales. But it was more than just an opportunity to alter the trajectory of her career that lured Brittany to Prestige: “I wanted to get back to a company that was more upbeat and busy,” she says. Similarly, she wanted to join a company that had a more “strategic, customer-centered approach” when it comes selling vehicles.

As the Sales & Finance Administrator of Prestige Imports, Brittany oversees the sales-related aspects of dealer trades, purchases orders, and occasionally fills in for the Finance Department. Of course, she enjoys working at the dealership because the “morale is high.” Brittany attributes this attitude to the fact that management runs a “family-oriented” operation, which “takes care of and appreciates its employees.” Between Friday barbeques during the summer, a Holiday party at the end of the year, and Employee of the Month awards, Brittany appreciates the manner in which employees are acknowledged and rewarded. Prestige employees, in turn, pass along that same enthusiasm to their customers.

An avid outdoors woman, Brittany likes to spend time camping and off-roading with her family. She enjoys visits to Nederland and Beuna Vista, as well as dirt-biking, motocross, and attending races.

Although Kelsey began working at Prestige Imports five months ago, she brings over five years of experience in the automotive world to the dealership. Before arriving at Prestige, she held several positions on the manufacturer’s side of the industry, primarily in Public Relations and Communications. Included in these previous positions was a stop at the Audi of America headquarters in Virginia: “I love the Audi brand. Everyone over at Audi headquarters is amazing; but, also, you have a brand that is exciting, innovative, and pushing the boundaries in the industry.”

After moving to Colorado about a year and a half ago, Kelsey became a Brand Ambassador at Prestige Imports. “I work between sales and service,” she explains, “providing excellent customer service” and acting as “the go-to for appraisal and trade-in information.” In this way, Kelsey acts as a “bridge” or liaison between the two departments, creating a “cohesion” between the customers and various employees. “I definitely think this is an interesting position,” she says, “and I enjoy seeing what it’s like from the dealer’s perspective,” as opposed to the manufacturer’s.

As far as her interest in the industry, Kelsey initially developed a passion for automobiles from her father. “One of my hobbies is vintage racing,” she says. “It’s something that we both do together. Being around cars” fostered a “love for them and the people in the industry.” For instance, Kelsey says she grew up at the track and attended the Rolex Motorsports Reunion to watch her dad race his 1965 Mustang GT 350.

Kandy first entered the automotive industry seventeen years ago when Prestige Imports hired her as a cashier. She transitioned into the role of Parts Consultant where, according to her, she gained the most knowledge, learning about individual automobiles. She held that position for fifteen years. Most recently, Kandy’s position at Prestige has transformed into a more customer-focused job. “I know so many of the customers,” she says, “that [management] wanted me…to greet people and make their time here more comfortable and enjoyable.” Since she has developed long-term relationships with customers and fellow employees, Kandy says, “the people here are like my family. I know most of them by name and know what they want.”

As far as the automotive industry being a “man’s world,” Kandy notices that people sometimes have that misconception. But she also knows, regardless of gender, customers respect and trust employees who are knowledgeable. To this end, Kandy recalls her time, years ago, in the Parts Department. New customers would usually approach male employees for parts-related questions first; but, more often than not, she was the one who could answer them most thoroughly. When these customers returned to Prestige, Kandy says “they would come straight to me because they understood that I was the one who knew how to help them.”

Outside of work, Kandy is a proud grandmother. She enjoys taking her granddaughter to a variety of events, such as youth fishing tournaments, seasonal harvest festivals, and train trips. “It’s like being a kid again,” she says, “I get to do everything with her that I used to do a child.”

Although she’s a ten year veteran of the automotive industry, Kristin began working with Prestige Imports four months ago after she moved from California to Colorado. “I really like the brand,” she says, “so I wanted to stay at a place that worked with Audi.” As an Assistant Service Advisor at Prestige Imports, Kristin answers customer questions and directs them to particular individuals when they’re in need of a more specialized response. Likewise, she prepares documents and paperwork for the forthcoming day’s service appointments. One aspect of the job that she values the most is the “attitude and expectations” of both employees and customers as they relate to the Audi brand: “We have Tier 1 service—that’s what we strive for. We expect to be exceptional and try to do everything we can to meet those expectations.”

Before starting in the industry, Kristin assumed that it was “dominated by men”; but once she began working at dealerships, she realized that “there are a lot of women” in the field. Moreover, she says that women “know a lot about cars, and definitely more than some people would think.” By providing customers with detailed and thorough responses to their questions, Kristin quickly dispels any preconceived notions someone might hold with regard to females in the industry. “Giving the customer as much information [about their car] helps,” she says, “in that it makes whoever I’m talking with more comfortable interacting with me.”

Kristin is a dog-owner, hiker, snowboarder, and an F1 racing fan. Additionally, she “really likes to take long, Sunday drives to nowhere,” with her fiance. “We both have Audis, so taking them out is one of our favorite things to do,” she says. “When we were in California, driving through the canyons on the Pacific Coast Highway and having lunch on the beach was something we did all the time.”

Lindsey Jones mentions that her “main goal is to bring integrity, purpose, and passion” to whatever she does in life. As a Brand Ambassador for Prestige Imports, she brings those positive, personal ethics to the dealership. While she is relatively new to both Prestige and her career in the automotive industry, Jones leverages her considerable experience in Sales, Education, and Service to her position at the dealership. “Everything has been great, so far,” she says, “[the job] definitely fits my personality.”

Although she began working at Prestige Imports rather recently, she’s no stranger to automobiles and car culture. “Growing up, my uncles were all mechanics,” Jones recalls, “so I grew up around cars.” And a childhood immersed in the service side of the automotive industry ensures that she “knows her way around an engine.” In addition to these experiences, Jones would watch Test n Tune Nights and NHRA events at Bandimere Speedway. She also mentions that “NASCAR is huge with my family,” proudly stating that they are “automotive people.” Not only does Jones come from a family of mechanics and car enthusiasts, but her “grandfather, actually, owned a Porsche” when she was younger.

A self-proclaimed “NHRA chic” (that’s National Hot Rod Association, for those of you not in the know), you can find Lindsey hanging out at the track and watching drag races in her free time. “I follow John Force and his team,” she says, as well as several local drivers. A Colorado native, Jones also enjoys the outdoors but has never skied.

As a twenty year veteran of the automotive industry, Mary joined the Prestige Import team seven and a half years ago. Currently, she operates in the dual role of Human Resources and Payroll Administrator. With regard to the latter of these titles, Mary notes: “With any position in the Accounting Department, you have to be extremely organized because your dealing with people’s money and, therefore, their lives.” To this end, she remains diligent and detailed-oriented in her approach to the job.

During the course of her career, Mary has been employed with many dealerships, but she’s stayed with Prestige Imports for the longest duration. “Honestly,” she says, “it’s the employees that keep me here.” Her sense of camaraderie with co-workers demonstrates itself in her role in Human Resources. Whether answering personnel questions, helping streamline the benefits process, or simply speaking with her fellow employees, it’s the interaction with those around her that Mary finds fulfilling.

Mary has noticed some changes throughout the years, specifically an increase in the amount of women working in the field. “It’s nice to see some of those old barriers being broken down,” she says. Nowadays, Mary appreciates the fact that there is a female presence at all levels in the industry: “Women own dealerships and work in body shops; [for example], we have a female painter, which is nice to see.”

When not at the dealership, Mary has logged a considerable amount of time on hundreds of scuba-diving trips. Her favorite diving location is Cancún, which she has visited sixteen times. To her mind, the variety of aquatic life that one finds on these dives make for an amazing experience.

Courtney has spent the past nine years at Prestige Imports, but has worked in the automotive industry for twelve years. Originally, the dealership hired her as the Business Development Manager, in which she headed up the dealership’s Call Center. After serving in that role for several years, she resigned so as to take the position of Internal Service Advisor. “My passion for helping and serving the customer,” Courtney says, was the reason for the shift. Ultimately, her new position allows Courtney to have a more direct and immediate effect: “I like being the first person and the first impression” a customer experiences when they arrive at the dealership’s Service Department. Her position as Internal Service Advisor requires her to service the dealership’s entire, internal fleet; she also arranges details, clear masks, and tints for both new and pre-owned vehicles.

Regarding the a woman’s place in the automotive industry, Courtney recalls that, “when I started in 2003, women were mostly hired in clerical” positions. Over the course of the past dozen years, though, the “industry [has become] more accepting of women,” employing them in every department. “We are very diversified,” she says, and Prestige has “embraced” an expanded role for female employees throughout the dealership; this increase corresponds to an industry-wide increase in the percentage of woman purchasing vehicles. Courtney believes this is important because, sometimes, “it’s easier and more comfortable” for female customers to speak with a female Service employee when they need information about their vehicle explained to them.

In her free time, Courtney likes to take long walks on the beach, take Pilates classes, and read books. Most recently, she read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Mary has spent the entirety of her fourteen year career in the automotive industry at Prestige Imports. Even from her first days on the job, though, she’s “always been impressed with how Prestige treats its customers.” While she’s never worked for another dealership, she has firsthand experience of how other companies are run because, as she says, “I’ve had some bad experiences with other dealerships when I was the customer.” To that end, the level of customer service that employees of Prestige provided for car shoppers pleasantly surprised her.

As an employee, Mary loves the fact that Prestige is both a comfortable and stable place to work, particularly when it comes to her co-workers: “I enjoy the people that I work with,” she says, “I think we have a good fit.” With relationship to the “Women of Prestige” campaign, Mary thinks that as a woman in the automotive industry, “now you can do anything you want. We have women in Parts, in the Body Shop, and women in Service.” Moreover, she believes that the influx of women at the dealership creates a more comfortable car buying experience for female customers.

A wife of thirty-seven years, mother of two children, and two grandchildren, Mary feels a strong connection to her family. Although she and her husband have lived in Colorado for forty-three years, they like to travel. Most recently, she’s visited family in the Texas hill country just north of Austin: “The landscape is gorgeous there,” she says, “with the rolling hills and trees. Everything is green; and you definitely don’t have to worry about the winter down there.”

Heather Pridemore has been employed with Prestige Imports for the past five years. She began her career at the dealership as an entry-level Customer Care Representative for the Service Department. Over the years, she’s held several positions while moving up through Prestige’s ranks. She now manages the Marketing Department. The positions Heather has held in different departments has enabled her to understand the company more holistically than she otherwise would have without those experiences.

Through extensive market research, Heather knows that women are responsible for 80% of car buying decisions. For this reason, it’s important for a company like Prestige to employ women in each and every department so as to be more responsive to the needs of all their customers. “If you really want to get down to brass tacks,” she says, “the automotive industry is actually a woman’s world.”

With a background in Customer Service and Fine Arts, Heather looks for ways to leverage her diverse knowledge-base into unique and cutting-edge strategies for improving her department and helping Prestige grow. As a wife and a mother, Heather appreciates that Prestige Imports values family and maintains a “people focused” outlook, whether that be with employees or customers. To this end, she says: “I’m really glad I work for a forward thinking company with great leadership that is open to new ideas, promotes from within, and believes in its people.”

Prestige Imports hired Lynn Seibel in January 2016; this is her first job in the automotive industry. As a File Clerk, Lynn records, organizes, and retrieves “deal jackets,” which contain paper work customers complete during the sale or leasing process. “I’m learning the ropes,” she says of her brief period with the dealership. While doing so, Lynn has noticed that “everyone here is very friendly and wants to make the customer number one. And that’s really important: for a someone to feel not just like a customer, but a person as well.”

Lynn, who considers herself “car crazy,” remembers her first experience with the Porsche brand. When she “was just a kid [and] her uncle got out of the war,” Seibel recalls that “he bought a Porsche right away.” Specifically, he purchased a green, 911 Targa. Although she thought his vehicle was “cool,” Lynn laughs as she reminisces about how, “as kids, we weren’t allowed to touch it. It was his baby.”

While she harbors fond memories of the Porsche brand, Lynn mentions that she “always has liked cars,” generally speaking. She tells of how, as a child, her family would go to “Englewood Speedway on days off and weekends to watch Figure Eight Races.” For the uninitiated, Figure Eight Races are held, literally, on a track in the shape of an eight. At its intersection, drivers attempt to crash into one another; in other words, these are Demolition Derbies.

When not at Prestige Imports, Lynn spends much of her time engaged in fitness activities, such as hiking and biking. As a native Coloradan, she also enjoys the outdoor wonders our state offers: “As a kid, we used to go to Big Creek Lake, up near Colorado and Wyoming border. It’s beautiful up there.”

After she graduated from high school, Michelle began working in the automotive industry. Four years later, she’s still here. It wasn’t until last December, though, that her sister informed her that Prestige was looking for help. Shortly thereafter, the dealership hired her. As a Filing Clerk, Michelle ensures that all of the dealerships documents remain organized and accounted for; if any information needs to be referenced, she can locate it immediately.

As far as labeling the automotive industry a “man’s world,” Michelle first thought that this might be the case. But once she started working at Prestige, she noticed that woman held a variety of positions throughout the dealership. “My Controller,” she explains, “has always been a woman.” Likewise, she notes: “When I met Hillary [Koener], it was really cool. It was the first time I saw a woman on the showroom floor.”

Currently, Michelle studies Criminal Justice and Sociology at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Once she graduates, she wants to pursue a career in Juvenile Probation. Regardless of what career trajectory she follows, she appreciates the support her fellow employees have offered her: “My co-workers helped me realize that I’m really part of this team, and my job is significant.” It is this type of affirmation that makes her time at Prestige.

While putting herself through college seven years ago, Perveen began her career in the automotive industry as a part-time receptionist. Since then, she has moved through the dealership ranks, becoming well-versed in several skill sets. Just over one year ago, though, Prestige Imports hired her to handle Accounts Payable in the Accounting Department.

Regarding her transition from the front of the dealership to a role behind the scenes, Sidhu says: “Kathy [Carter] brought me into the Accounting Department and taught me everything I know. She’s my mentor.” What Perveen learned from Kathy encompasses nearly every duty in the Department: “[Kathy is] into cross-training. If I know I need to take a day off, then someone’s there to back me up. And vice versa.” Perveen believes that the willingness of employees to support one another has fostered a “family vibe” that promotes teamwork.

As a woman in the automotive industry, Perveen thinks that it’s necessary to project a sense of self-confidence in world that’s traditionally thought of as male-dominated. “But, at Prestige, I haven’t had any problems,” she says, “because our management team is awesome and treats everyone with respect. It’s a great company.”

When she’s not at work, Perveen dedicates most of her time to her son: “So that definitely keeps me very busy.” Of course, she notes that it’s “nice working somewhere where they understand that you’re not just an employee, but a person.”

The newest member of the Prestige Imports staff, Kailey began working at the dealership in mid-March. Although her tenure here has been relatively short, she brings, literally, a life-time of experience to her position. Kailey grew up in Nebraska, spending most of her childhood at her family’s body shop in Bellevue. To this end, she feels comfortable around cars, automotive culture, and those people who dedicate their lives to the industry.

Before Kailey’s arrival, Prestige Imports never employed a Deliver Specialist, so she thinks “that it’s cool to start something new” and have control over how the position transforms. Developing the position requires some “trial and error,” but Kailey likes the challenge of figuring out “what works and what does not.” Having held the position previously at another luxury car dealership, though, she’s well-equipped to tackle these challenges.

As a Delivery Specialist, Kailey “teaches customers how to use the features” found within the vehicle and customizes various settings, such as seats, mirrors, phones, media, navigation systems, and other technologies available to drivers. One aspect of her position that she appreciates is the manner in which Audi’s features are both “ahead of the curve” technologically and “easier to use” than other luxury brands.

Outside of work, Kailey enjoys “snowboarding, hiking, fishing: all the Colorado things.” Her favorite winter sports location is Keystone because it’s “not too far of a drive and not as touristy as other resorts.” And although she loves Colorado, she concedes that her favorite fishing location is “back home at [her] grandma’s lake house in Bellevue.”

Whether working for the Colorado DMV or at a dealership, Karen has been a member of the automotive industry since 1974. While differences abound when comparing these two areas of the industry, the former has been instructive to her career in the latter. “Being at the DMV, I could see the quality of work at each dealership,” she says, “and learned which companies were better” based upon “the standard and completeness of their paperwork.”

Ultimately, it was the thoroughness of documentation that brought her to Prestige Imports. As a Title Clerk, Karen continues this conscientious tradition by making sure all of the car titles are in order and sent to the appropriate location; likewise, she oversees the documentation for dealer trades, purchases, wholesales, and pay-offs.

A Colorado-native, Karen grew up down the street from Prestige Imports and graduated from Lakewood High School. Due to her familiarity with the neighborhood, city, and state, she “feels at home here” in the dealership. As a wife, mother, and grandmother, Karen spends most of her free time with family.

A thirteen year veteran of the automotive industry, Khila has spent the past eight and a half years at Prestige Imports. Originally, the dealership hired her as the Service Manager’s Administrative Assistant, then she transitioned into the Service Department proper. Most recently, she’s spent the past four years as the Warranty Administrator. For this position, she processes claims through Audi in order to ensure that the work the Service Department undertakes for a vehicle meets Audi’s specifications for payment. To this end, she acts as Prestige’s liaison between Audi, customers, and the dealership.

Since she first began working in dealerships, much has changed in the industry. For one thing, vehicles have experienced a recent and rapid influx in the amount of technological and computer-based components found inside them. Additionally, Khila mentions that companies have become more “co-ed,” noting that: “When I first started [thirteen years ago], some older gentlemen had issues with women being in this field.” Of course, she’s pleased that, nowadays, “most people are open” to woman in the automotive workplace. Furthermore, she sees “more female consumers who are learning about their vehicles and taking care of them on their own.”

Learning about and tinkering with vehicles is nothing new to Khila. As a child, she would help her father in the garage as he rebuilt and refurbished cars. A self-proclaimed “car-fanatic,” Khila still rebuilds cars with her husband and intends on teaching her daughter the same skills that she learned as a young girl. “We joked around that my daughter will learn how to drive a manual before she can ride a bike.”

As a ten year veteran of the automotive industry, Adria joined Prestige Imports’ team in January of this year. One of the first things she noticed upon arriving at the dealership was the welcoming atmosphere: “I can honestly say that I have never worked at a place like Prestige before. Even the GM, Justin Adis, knew my name, and could pronounce it properly,” she says with a laugh, “by the end of the first week.”

Of course, the attention that fellow employees pay to one another is not the only aspect of Prestige which Adria finds appealing. She also appreciates how employees treat customers, noting how the “level of commitment to the customer” is unparalleled. In order to help deliver superior, customer service, Adria takes care of billing, the daily reconciliation of Parts and Service’s sales, as well as incentives for both Audi and Porsche.

Adria spends much of her time raising her “rambunctious” two year-old son, but she also enjoys playing both outdoor and indoor soccer, which she has been involved with since was a child. Additionally, she takes advantage of Colorado’s outdoor activities whenever possible. One of her favorite locations in Hanging Lake, which is located near Glenwood Springs.

Cassie began working at Prestige Imports in February. Although this is her first position in the automotive industry, Utecht brings many years of administrative and customer service experience to the dealership. Having said that, she quickly points out that she’s “always had an interest in the automotive industry,” and her husband works as a technician at another dealership. For the two of them, then, the automotive world is a source of conversation, jokes, and shared experience. Although she enjoys her work at the front of the dealership, she eventually would like to transition into a Service Advisor position.

Cassie’s interest in automobiles dates back to her teenage years. She remembers how, “back in high school,” she would “go to dealerships to check out cars [she] dreamed of owning one day. The Audi A4 was one of [her] first loves.” Her passion for the A4 stemmed from its “body style,” insofar as, to her mind, it was “sleek, sporty, and looked like a car [she] could definitely handle.” Utecht also mentions her admiration of “German engineering” and the superior performance of vehicles made in that country. But Cassie also believes that her love of Audi cars derives from the fact that her “family heritage is German.” Not surprisingly, then, her grandfather was an advocate of German vehicles, calling them “the best cars he had ever driven.”

When not working at Prestige Imports, Cassie spends her time writing, bowling, and watching movies. Specifically, she’s a big fan of horror movies and most recently went to see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; her favorite film of all-time is Maximum Overdrive, which was written and directed by Stephen King.

Megan has spent two years in the automotive industry, primarily at Prestige Imports. She began as a receptionist and, subsequently, has moved into the Sales Department with the hope of moving up through the company ranks. “I’m very personable,” Megan says, so “working in Sales and as a receptionist” initially made sense. Lately, though, she’s focused on learning the Administrative side of the business. To this end, she’s looking more closely at the journey an individual vehicle takes, from its delivery on the lot to its eventual purchase.

“When I first began working at another dealership, [their company culture] was a Good Old Boys Club”; but she notes that, since moving to Prestige Imports, “it definitely feels different here. It’s a lot more progressive and contemporary.” Megan explains: “Brittany [Harfst] has been awesome. She’s an amazing teacher and very supportive. I’ve been training with her for a month and learned a lot.” Of course, it’s not just Brittany that Megan looks to as a mentor, as there are many “really strong females in this car dealership holding higher positions. Like Kathy Carter, for instance; she has an important job and she’s a very strong women. And Lisa over at the Body Shop.” To this end, she says, “it’s nice to know there are opportunities here for women.”

Recently, Megan became a newlywed. With her husband, she has spent considerable time the last year re-modeling their house. An Iowa-native, Megan has lived in Colorado for several years and enjoys the outdoor life it offers her. She loves to fish and climb; her favorite hike is Bear Peak in Boulder.