Tampa auto dealer looks to spark industry’s need for female mechanics, from Tampa Bay Times.
When Rob Elder laid out the plans for his new state-of-the-art Ford dealership on N Florida Avenue, he had one very important request: a separate restroom and changing facility in the service center for female automotive technicians.
Elder currently does not have any female technicians on staff, but he hopes that will soon change.
“We made it a high priority to ensure female technicians would not only have a place to work, but also an environment in which they would feel valued,” he said.
Inspired by his mother’s legacy, Elder has made it his personal mission to help put an end to gender inequality in the automotive industry. When Elder was 12, his father died suddenly, leaving his mom, Irma Elder, to provide for the family. A housewife at the time, Irma rose to the challenge, taking over her husband’s business to become the first female to own a Ford dealership in the Detroit area.
