By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) has named Haley Frank, senior category analyst at Wheeler Fleet Solutions, as the network's newest #SheIsSEMA spotlight member.
Get to know Frank in her interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: How many years have you been with your current company and what do you enjoy most about working there?
Haley Frank: I have been with Wheeler for just less than a year and a half. This is my first company after my May 2023 graduation from Northwood University. What I enjoy most about my role is that I am always learning: learning different avenues of the industry, learning new tools to use for efficiency, learning ways to build a career for myself and attending continuing education courses. Just being in a position for growth and learning has been a huge blessing in my current role.
SEMA: What is the most challenging part of running your business or job?
HF: I have no experience working in a corporate job. Going from being a college student to the world of corporate can be daunting as you learn that there are layers to a signature, and corporate jargon that you only really learn with experience. It has been fun tackling these challenges and navigating a career at such a young age.
SEMA: How many years have you been in the industry and what was your first industry job?
HF: About one and a half years in the industry. My first job was also with Wheeler but as an eCommerce Product Data Analyst.
SEMA: What are three qualities that got you to where you are today?
HF: Perseverance--this is huge for me! Life does not always hand people a fair deck of cards but using that to your advantage and learning from and persevering through those hard situations has built who I am. This has benefited me greatly as it teaches me to never give up and keep pushing.
Leadership. Leadership was instilled in me from a very young age throughout the various sports and extracurriculars that I participated in. This has very much carried over into my adult life through college athletics and now my job in the aftermarket. Striving for the best out of my team, taking those unknowns head-on and leading those around you in the direction of success. This has benefited me because it has allowed me to stand out and advance in my career and life.
Kindness. I think this is one that sounds a little cliché but is so near and dear to me. You never know what someone is going through, what someone else's life looks like, so extending kindness in the form of support, help, opportunities, advice, etc. have definitely gotten me where I am today.
Nobody makes it where they want to go on their own so extending grace and kindness to others has shaped me into the friend that I am, the coworker that I am and the person I am. This has benefitted me because it has allowed me to make a lot of friends along the way. People don't remember what you looked like or what you said; they remember how you treated them. This has helped me tremendously in the growth of my network.
SEMA: Being a woman in the industry, what have been your biggest challenges and accomplishments?
HF: Being a woman in the industry and a young woman has taught me a lot of things. People of power will look past you, speak over you and repeat ideas that you already said just because you are a woman. Very early on, I experienced people not taking my word for things and needing validation on components that I was in charge of handling from my male boss. It definitely creates a lack of confidence in the work that you are doing.
The accomplishments that I can take from this are that now people reach out to me directly, they want time on my calendar and they respect me as a professional and not by my gender. Being so young in the industry, at first it was confusing, but sticking it out and working through it has built a confidence that I did not used to have in both myself and my work. Another thing that has really helped with this is having bosses who recognize this and stand up for me or encourage my participation in very high-level meetings to help establish myself and my confidence. Having a support system is huge for growing in an industry that women are not prominent in.
SEMA: Who are your role models or mentors in the industry?
HF: My main role model is Ariel Loza. He took a chance on hiring someone who--at the time--had zero aftermarket experience and has supported me in my career advancement, industry involvement and navigating a career that I had never had before. He has introduced me to the layers of experience he has from the manufacturing side, dealership side, eCommerce side and warehouse distributor side. With him, no question is a stupid question and that is a really good feeling for someone who asks a lot of questions!
SEMA: What is the best career advice you have received?
HF: I think the best career advice I have received is to "work harder on yourself than you do your job." As my time progresses in the corporate world, I feel like people forget to prioritize themselves and sometimes lose themselves. This has been a good reminder that there is so much time in the day outside of the nine-to-five. Use that time to prioritize yourself, stimulate your mind, move your body and continue to work on yourself. A strong, energized, happy and healthy mind will create an output at work that it otherwise could not.
Work is just one part of your life so to be more productive at work--work on yourself and never stop working on yourself. This has helped advance me in my career because, if I was sad all the time and in a work/sleep/repeat mindset, my productivity would not be where it is in my day-to-day. I am fulfilled outside of work by things that make me happy so when I am working the output is stronger, better and higher quality. It is all a mindset thing, and filling my cup cultivates a better work ethic, stronger mindset, better habits and increased confidence in myself and the work that I am producing.
SEMA: Have you always wanted to work in the automotive industry? What keeps you here?
HF: No. This was an opportunity that was presented to me and I took a blind leap of faith. I think what keeps me here is that it is the smallest large industry ever--if that makes sense. All the people are so welcoming and inviting, they want to see you win and they want to help shape the future of the aftermarket. There is a place for everyone in the aftermarket and I think that is what keeps me here.
SEMA: Who was the most influential person on your career/goals?
HF: My mom is definitely the most influential person in reaching my goals, both personally and in my career. My mom fell very ill when I was a junior in college and ended up passing away of brain cancer--this lit a fire in me like no other. It made me realize that tomorrow is not promised so work for all the things that you want today. Growing up, she wanted so much more for me than what she had and provided me all the opportunities to get that for myself, and all I had to do was go get it. So, for now and forever I will be going and getting it, reaching for all my goals because with hard work, nothing is out of reach.
Fill out a #SheIsSEMA spotlight form to submit a self-nomination or nominate a colleague and highlight how you or she is contributing to the specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are automatically eligible to be considered for SBN's #SheIsSEMA Woman of the Year award, featured on SBN's social media, SEMA News and recognized on the sema.org/she-is-sema website.