In today’s shops, finding a female in the back turning wrenches is still unusual. However, the numbers are increasing. That fact, in particular, is why I was so surprised to hear that there is a shop once run by 3 women who could all wrench in the small town of New Salisbury, Indiana. What makes it an even more fabulous story is that this was over 20 years ago, when female techs were practically unheard of. How in the world does that happen? Well, I had the pleasure of visiting with Denise Lowe, the last of the 3 sisters still in the shop today who shared this unique and fun story with me.
In 1968, Paul Conrad opened Conrad’s Garage, which later became Conrad’s Transmission. Paul had 6 children. I know what you’re thinking: all girls?? That’s what happened to my poor dad, who finally stopped trying for a boy at number 4. But Paul did have a son, Doug Conrad, who also built transmissions and worked in the shop with Paul. “Dad had a rule for all his kids when it was time to get a car.” Denise shared, “You picked out a junker, and you fixed it up. It didn’t matter if you were his son or daughter. That started it all.”
Denise recalls Paula’s first car was a 1954 Chevy with a 3 speed standard transmission that needed a clutch replacement. Their brother Doug helped Paula take the clutch from one of the old junk cars their dad had kept and installed it in her Chevy. Once it was running, Doug had to teach her to drive it. She said Paula took them everywhere in that old car and they lovingly named it “Duesenberg”. She said they still name their vehicles today.
None of these young ladies had any formal technical training. They passed down the knowledge within the family. Phyllis was the most versed in mechanical skills, which allowed her to be not only the builder but also the foreman and diagnostic technician. Paul and Doug taught Phyllis. Phyllis then taught Denise and Paula to R & R. Denise performed much of the transmission replacement, and Paula filled in when they needed her in the shop; she focused more on the office.
Eventually, their brother Doug moved on to other things, leaving the shop to the girls. Denise jokes, “We must have run him off – too many women to deal with.”
With nearly an entire crew of females I just knew Denise had to have some funny customer interactions. She told me about a customer who came in wanting to speak to the head technician about his transmission problems. Paula, currently the service writer, took his information and let him know Phyllis would be checking his vehicle, and she’d contact him. “You have a woman as your head technician?” he questioned. Paula confirmed, indeed they did, her sister. The customer decided to take his car and left.
A few days later, they got a call from the gentleman apologizing for leaving with his car like that. He said after he left, he asked around town and everyone told him to take his vehicle to Phyllis at Conrad’s Transmission. He brought his car back for diagnostics and has been one of their best customers ever since.
Denise explains that most customers don’t say anything when they see a woman working on their car. You can just tell by their demeanor and how they ask you questions as if you won’t know the answer. It’s like they want to stump you. When that fails, and you prove you can answer their questions, they really change their attitude. Denise and her sisters certainly have changed a lot of attitudes towards women in auto care over the years.
In the spring of 2020 Paula decided to retire. Phyllis passed away in 2015. Today, the shop is being passed on to Denise’s daughter, Tiffany, and her husband Russell Goodman.
Before joining the family business, Tiffany worked in the tire department at WalMart. She started as a service writer, then moved to tech, and finally the shop manager for about a year. She left to help at Conrad’s in 2019. Her technical knowledge and skills set was also passed down. They did ease up on the “junker rule” for the first car but she had to be able to change her own oil and tires and check all her own fluids before she could get a learner’s permit.
She remembers her co-workers’ laughter when a customer would ask for help installing wiper blades, and Tiffany, who was only 4 foot 10 inches tall, would use stacked tires to reach the windshield to get the job done. This goes to show how women find a way to work smart. Regardless of their size and strength, they find a way to do what they love.
For Tiffany, her transition into management was easy. She had worked side-by-side with the other techs in the tire department, so they had already seen her prove herself. They knew she was a no-nonsense person, who expected things to be done by the book. She gained a lot of experience which helped prepare her to take over the family business.
Tiffany’s husband Russell was hired to help build transmissions at Conrad’s back when they were just dating before Tiffany started working there. He moved over from the dealership world after Paula announced her retirement from the shop. He specializes in building imports.
One of Tiffany’s favorite stories about being in the shop as a child with her mom and aunts was when she was about 5 years old. She would watch her Aunt Phyllis get mad and yell at the transmissions when something wasn’t going quite right. One afternoon, her mom, Denise, walked into the shop and found little Tiffany on a creeper under a car, yelling at that darn transmission, just like Aunt Phyllis. Apparently, the technical know-how wasn’t all that was passed on!
Tiffany says that she has so much respect for her two aunts and her mom. They are loved by the community and have an excellent reputation. She really admires them and is honored to follow in their shoes. There aren’t as many ladies in the back of the shop these days, but one thing is for sure: Denise, Phyllis, and Paula were trailblazers and remarkable women in our industry.
If you are a woman that would like to participate in AWiA or you have an amazing woman builder, or technician at your shop that has a special story, please feel free to contact me at Tiffany@AmazingWiA.com.
