Police appointments - Canton Public Library

•••"••> 1
Nancy Smith, one of the few women parts managers in Michigan
Plymouth woman
knows car
By LORAINE McCLISH
A young woman who says she was "driving
something with a motor and four
wheels since the time 1 was 6" is now one
of the few female car par& managers in
Michigan. She works for Bob Saks Olds
handling a $200,000 monthly inventory
Nancy Smith, who grew up in the country
north of Battle Creek, marks the beginnings
of her career at 17 when she couldn't
get a job after high school graduation
She was offered a free course in foreign
car repair and took it to fill up the time "
That led to her first job as a car mechanic
That was in 1966. before the advent of
"The Feminine Mystique."' Women's liberation
and NOW
"It took a lot of nerve fbr him (the
owner) to give me that chance The same
kind of daring it must have taken for Mr
Saks when he moved me from assistant
manager to manager." she said.
Of her boss, she says. "He's a good guy
to work for. He lets the managers manage.
'
INTERIM JOBS found her driving courtesy
care, working as a service writer,
woricing as a pit mechanic and singing in
a rock and roll band
Mrs Smith earned her living for two
years as a singer, which she refers to as
"a competitive art form and not the most
secure business in the world ''
Bringing four people together to render
a creative offering is a far Cry from bringing
many times that many together to render
a specific service, she explained
She has hired the majority of her own
crew of seven who work out of the Farmington
dealer's lot on Grand River
"My crew is young, but they perform
and that's all that counts,* she said
Her young crew and Saks' daring apparently
paid off because last February Mrs.
Smith was named manager of the month
stemming from a high in sales of $91,000,
parts
about $30,000 higher than could be ei
pected for a February
HER FEELINGS about this is that s
is selling a service, and parts are but
by-product of that service. She followed
this feeling by rattling off a string of instances
where members of her crew wou
be sent to as far away as Howell or La
sing in order to give one-day service
"If a part is tying up a car for someon^.
we'll do it. We do it constantly. We'fe
going to be her next year and for years
after that. It doesn't make much sense n6t
to do a good job for our customers." sne
said
She suspects she works an average of il
hours a day, often takes work home wi(h
her "but that is necessary to do the job. St
comes with the territory," she says.
The service she renders, she believe 5.
goes hand in hand with that of the servii e
mechanic, whom she calls a trained tec inician.
"We don't have a heavy turnover at i II
of the men who service the cars and th< y
are constantly being sent out to the GM
Tech Center just to keep up. A tune-up
used to be a simple operation, but cars a|e
getting so complicated now. all part of our
complicated society. I guess. Basic invent)
ry is just not what it used to be," she sai< I.
"A dealership just keeps playing catcfi
up with supply and demand and it seems
everybody wants all the goodies they a n
load onto a car. Selling a basic car is practically
unheard of. Most of the cars so d
here are sold fully loaded and that meats
more switches and nuts and bolts for me. '
Keeping all of the switches and nuts ar d
bolts in their proper place comes easy for
her because "I like things in order. I lil e
things to be where they're supposed o
be." she said.
Mrs. Smith lives in Plymouth with to r
husband Dan who is drummer for the Tom
Powers Trio now playing at the Pepperrnill.
MCEN&mONA.
BUST
REVOLUTIONARY
IDEA
M
^ Luxurious room
^ Leisurely breakfast / */
•fa Cocktail and
dancing
r
V '//
//
Call
879-2100
for a color brochure
X
Northfield Hilton Inh
5500 Crooks Rd. at I-75
Troy, Michigan 48084
'
r ' V y;i-:'.V'->(,•> .T/WiW*; »V7.WWY-Mv' TVv.v ;. -A'..- Vv,' • i; .- v.'> I„y->,,.v. -v. .**T>r>!
juggles a $200,000 monthly inventory in Farmingtor|'s Bob Saks Olds.
Thursday, August 12, 1976 OBSERVER & ECCENTRIC •3B
Feminist club
offers buffet
' Buffet and entertainment every Fnday
evening is offered by the Feminist
Women's City Club, 2110 Parte, Detroit
Food and music will be available in the
lounge on the second floor from 5-7 p.m.
The cafe also has business women's
luncheon specials at $2 25 every Wednesday
from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It is located
on the third floor of the club.
Pharmacy Dept.
Sweaters
You're ready
fa them.
The weather is ready
for them.
Rancbra is ready
with them.
Sweaters called "Angles."
In taste-tingling colors -
like strawberry and cranberry.
Over-sweaters that are long on collars
and cuffs, but not short on sizes:
thirty through thirty-eight.
FOR A LITTLE UNDER THIRTY DOLLARS.
Under-sweaters are skinny turtlenecks
with lots-of-color striping. All sizes too
LESS THAN SEVENTEEN.DOLLARS.
On the lower half — corduroy slacks,
narrow-as-a-pin waled
and deeper berry colored.
Corduroys in all junior sizes,
and almost all colors
NOT ABOVE EIGHTEEN DOLLARS.
Next to Meijer Thrifty Acres at Ford Road and Canton Center.
11-6 Sunday 10-10 Vteekdays
Colonial House
ol Furniture
19532 W.McNichols
Open MOD., Thora., Fri.til9
KE2-7900
Scientific Medication Works Quickly, for Hours, to
Stop the
Torture of
Vicious Itching
Even Personal Membrane Itching
Now you can get fast, long-lasting
relief from the tortures of itching,
chafing, rashes, dry skin eczema,
even embarrassing membrane itch
(vaginal and rectal) with LANACANF.
Medicated Creme. Any itch causes
scratching, causes more itching.
I hat's the misery of what Doctors
recognize as the "itch-scratch-itch
cycle." LANACANF. works because it
breaks this cycle ... relieves itching
fast, quiets the urge to scratch.
i
checks bacteria growth, speeds
healing. Soothing, greaseless.
And now t ANACANE brings you
new LANACANF. SPRAY — specially
medicated to relieve skin in pain
due to sunburn, itching, everyday
cuts and scrapes. Brings prompt,
temporary relief without stinging
even on irritated surface tissue.
Helps prevent infection as it promotes
healing. Amazing LANACANF.
— Famous Creme. New Spray.