“I accepted a job in 2010 in Ohio,” Schmidt said. “I kept my New York apartment but never went back.”
Schmidt met her husband Erich and the two got married in 2014. Though her husband is the owner of Schmidt Auto Care in Springboro, Schmidt said she had “zero Interest” in the automotive field. But her cosmetics job had her traveling away from home most of the time. And though they hadn’t planned to have a family, Schmidt ended up getting pregnant with her now 5-year-old daughter Emma, and that changed everything.
“Erich and I talked, and he said he didn’t think I could have a job like mine and be a mom too since I was never home,” Schmidt said. “He asked me if I could take my skills and see if I could put them to work in the shop.”
And that’s exactly what Schmidt did. She started looking at the processes and what the business needed and created a marketing plan. She also worked on building up the social media business accounts.
“I realized I wasn’t really a makeup artist,” Schmidt said. “I was a businesswoman.”
Now vice president of marketing and operations at Schmidt Auto Care, Schmidt said she immediately discovered the need to educate women about caring for the cars and keeping them maintained.
“I have always been passionate about educating women,” Schmidt said. “We started offering classes during career days at schools and teaching new woman drivers to be safe on the road and know your car.”
Devoted to community involvement, Schmidt also heads up a women in business marketing meeting in Springboro and it was during one of those meetings that a member suggested she put together a “cruise-in” event devoted to women and moms.
“She suggested a ‘soccer mom cruise-in,’” Schmidt said. “I think she was only half serious, but it resonated with me.”
Schmidt returned to the shop and called a manager meeting, but when she mentioned the idea of a women-centric cruise in event, most of the team members said they didn’t think it would work. But Schmidt persisted, reminding them how many female customers come into the shop regularly.
With just a few short months to plan a Mother’s Day time frame event, Schmidt quickly put her plan into action, reaching out to community businesses for support and planning an event that would not only honor moms, but all women. Schmidt Auto Care’s first annual “Mom Cruise In” is scheduled for May 1 from noon to 3 p.m.
“It just made sense that we do something really grand for moms who have always been such terrific customers of ours,” Schmidt said.
The free event will include raffles throughout the day featuring items donated by local businesses, food and beverages, including a special “Mom-mosa” mocktail. There will also be live entertainment and the shop’s technicians will be on hand to answer any questions.
“It’s a time to just lift the tail gate and talk to other moms,” Schmidt said. “We just want to pamper them!”
Now that live events are slowly returning, Schmidt said that people just need to relax and have some fun and that was the driving idea behind the event. The shop plans to host this event annually and there has already been an outpouring of support from the community.
“We are really blessed to have strong relationships here in the local community,” Schmidt said. “We want people to know they can come in anytime and introduce themselves, but this event is also a great time to meet Erich and Mike Wherry, our service specialist. Mike doesn’t make anything complicated, and I think this industry is missing that. If it’s not fixable or the repair can wait, he will tell you. We aren’t here to gouge people. We just want to help.”
For more information, log on to schmidtautocare.com
Contact this contributing writer at banspach@ymail.com.
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