Laura Bertolli

I was on a retreat to dig deeper into my purpose and the biggest revelation was the word PIONEER.  I really resonated with that word. Perhaps it is because my father came over from Italy when he was 15 years old.  His can-do, hard working experience must have rubbed off on me.  He courageously learned English, got a job, a wife, started a business and created a beautiful family. As a first born, and immigrant's kid, I pretty much raised myself.  When it came time for college, I applied, got accepted and was the first on both sides of my family to graduate from college.  I packed up my Chevy Chevette and drove off to college, waving to my Mom, who was standing on the doorstep. Although there were offers, I chose to work at the family business.  I took over the auto body shop at age 26 without really thinking about what I was getting into.  As it turns out, very few women manage, much less, own an auto body shop! After having been married for 13 years, and with 3 kids, I did an

I’m optimistic and believe that things will work out.  I never believed the myth that women can’t run auto shops.  I do believe that with hard work, and dedication, women can do anything! In fact, any person can do anything if they set their mind to it and put in the work.  The discrimination sometimes comes in big ways, like when I’m working at the shop, and a WOMAN looks over my shoulder, looking for the ‘man’ in charge. That really hurts. Or when at an industry trade show, and the vendors ask me where my husband is. Oh, you only sell to men? Fine, I’ll take my business (and money) elsewhere.  The small ways hurt just as much. This is trivial, but when a salesperson calls the shop (to this day!), and asks for the manager and I say, “I can help you”, they hang up, still hanging on to the belief that a woman only answers the phone.  I hear from my friends that behind my back, I’m called a bitch, for being a strong, confident business woman and sometimes the people who a

By Tyler Pendleton As winter sets in, many great things come with it. The holiday season, hot cocoa by the fire, and bonding with family. The cold season brings many good things, but it also brings the bad. Part of that bad is the great rise in cars hitting deers. The furry creatures are much more active in the colder season, greatly increasing the amount of accidents caused by deer. Driving in dawn and dusk are major risks, as this is the main time of activity by the animals. With the cover of darkness, they are harder to spot. They use this to move from place to place safely, but it also makes it harder for drivers to see a buck or doe on the side of a road. Even if one deer is spotted, it is important to let it leave completely and check for any other companions. Using high beams makes it easier to scare off or find deer, but is not an option when there are cars coming the opposite way. Deer whistles are also not proved to be effective. The attachable whistles have not shown a

This timely article arrived from Legal Shield and I want to pass it on.  We are seeing an increase is major front end and rear end collisions, and in the dry summer, there can be no excuse except for distracted driving.  Please take heed of these suggestions: Causing an accident due to negligence could kill or seriously injure you, your loved ones and other drivers. Read and share the following information with your friends and family, particularly young drivers. 1. Texting While Driving – Driving while texting, emailing or using a smartphone is illegal in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces. While the laws may vary based on the age of the driver or the type of device in use, one thing is clear: distracted driving is dangerous. Numerous studies have shown that texting or using your smartphone while driving substantially increases your chance of injury or death. Injuries and deaths caused by distracted drivers have skyrocketed in recent years. Pull safely to the side

Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change sent this article in an email: 7 Tips for Deep Cleaning Your Vehicle Go beyond wash and wax with these vehicle detailing suggestions. by Rich Ellis   0   0 When it comes to cleaning your vehicle, what’s there to know? The basic car wash and interior tidying works just fine when you’re pressed for time or simply can’t tolerate the dirt any longer. And the end result is a relatively clean vehicle that looks – and perhaps smells – much better than it did before with a minimal time investment.   A few times a year, however, you should go beyond the light cleaning. A thorough detailing – inside and out – gives you a vehicle that’s more enjoyable to drive and ride in. What’s more, it can also help retain the vehicle’s value, improve driver safety with better visibility, and keep the vehicle cleaner for longer, as well as make future cleanings easier.   Vehicle detailing, whether performed by a professional or DIYer, d

In our world of political correctness, some things are still culturally sexist, such as men being experts at car stuff. I bet if you talk to half of all auto shop owners, they have never worked on a car!   Generally, owners take care of the business end and employ expert technicians to do the actual work on cars.  To this point, a woman is just as qualified to run this business as is a man.  Business is business and as long as the person working on your vehicle knows what he/she is doing, the owner's sex is irrelevant. Why not check yourself, next time you get your vehicle repaired and test if you subconsciously prefer to see a man, when you go in for service?  Hopefully you're ok seeing this: