Highlighting Auto Care's '23 Woman of the Year: Kim Nolan

How many years have you been in the auto care industry?

33 + years

What are your "words to live by" or motto?

"Do what you say you are going to do."
"Be pro-active not reactive."  

Where did you receive your undergraduate degree? What did you study?

Florida State University – Human Resource Management  

How did you get your start in the auto care industry?

Family Business – Genco Auto Electric, Inc.  – took a summer job with my dad when I was 25 while I figured out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  Little did I know then – this was it.

How long have you been an Auto Care Association member?

16 years  

What do you feel are the rewards for being a part of the association/auto care industry?

Being a member of the Auto Care Industry gives me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge.  It keeps me informed on the trends of the market outside of my own segment.  Being an active participant expands my network and affords me the opportunities to get different perspectives. It re-energizes me every time I get involved.  It’s so true that you are rewarded with more than you give. 

Describe the current duties and responsibilities in your role as SVP of Sales, IAM.

I’m responsible for driving profitable sales growth across all product lines, developing Sales Plans that achieve company targets, keep BBB competitive and ensure customer satisfaction at all levels.

What other organizations, if any, are you involved in?

CHIEF & Broward & Palm Beaches Realtors, Association

In your opinion, what is/are the biggest issue(s) facing the auto care industry today?

Attracting young, diverse talent.

If you weren't in the auto care industry, what would you be doing?

When I was in college, I wanted to be a flight attendant, but at the time I didn’t meet the height requirement!  Which is funny because now I really don’t like flying. I’ve been doing this for so long now I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else.  My customer relationships are the most important thing to me – that would be hard to give up.   I do have my real estate license so I see that as my retirement career.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’m lucky to live in FL and I love to walk.  At least 5 days a week you can find me outside walking about 5 miles a day.  I enjoy the beach and all water activities.  I live within a 1 mile radius of my entire family – so we spend A LOT of time together 😊

Professionally speaking, what are your long-term goals?

I’d like to see myself get to the next executive level and have a seat at the table.  Be more involved with the overall company direction.

Please explain how your company is doing business internationally.

That’s an exciting question for us! BBB has grown our international business through many European acquisitions in the last two years and have built a solid European footprint. We now have locations in UK, Denmark, France, Spain, and Italy. This has given us the opportunity to cross sell some new categories for our North American customers.

Favorite apps:

Zillow – I’m a real estate enthusiast
Spelling Bee/ NY Times – I’m a word puzzle nerd