With the naming of Mary Barra as the first woman CEO of a major U.S. car company, “the glass ceiling has finally been broken in the good ol’ boys club,” said Michelle Primm, managing partner of Cascade Auto Group in Cuyahoga Falls.
Barra, 51, was named CEO at General Motors on Tuesday.
Primm is an at-large director representing 450 women dealers east of the Mississippi River to the National Automobile Dealers Association.
“I have never met her, but I love her. She came up through the production end of the business. She’s got engineering and a more science background, which is really good,” said Primm, whose dealership sells Subaru, Audi and Mazda, as well as used cars.
“As dealers, we say to the car manufacturers, ‘Build us a great car and get out of our way and let us sell it.’ ”
Primm said she heard industry speculation in October that Barra might be under consideration for more responsibilities at GM. The car company changed her duties by having all purchasing operations answer to her.
“That signaled to me they recognized she has a talent for bringing people together for the success of the company,” Primm said.
Primm said while there have been women leaders in other industries — including car dealerships — having a woman named CEO at a major auto company is an important breakthrough.
There are still “good ol’ boys” in the industry, but Primm said looking at the management team that GM put in place with Barra as head shows that “they’re young, I think they’re modern thinkers. I think they are going to make a difference in how the company is run.
“This is going to be a good thing for GM. I think you can already see the mark of some of these younger folks on the great products coming out of GM. It makes me a little nervous,” she said in a reference to the fact that GM products are among her manufacturers’ competitors.
Another Akron female executive — Virginia Albanese, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Custom Critical in Green — also praised GM’s decision on Barra.
“It’s always great to see someone recognized for their track record, competency and leadership abilities,” Albanese said in a statement.
Beacon Journal business writer Jim Mackinnon contributed to this report. Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/blinfisher and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.