SEMA 2008

Three Top Automotive Industry Women to Join the Advisory Panel of Ask Patty

Wendy Engelberg of AutoVisuals, Maura Schreier-Fleming of Best@Selling, and Shelly LoCascio of Irwin Cars will join the AskPatty.com, Inc. Expert Advisory Panel.

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) March 25, 2007 -- AskPatty.com, Inc., announced today that three top automotive industry women will join the automotive advisory panel of industry-expert women for their new woman's portal, Ask Patty. The Ask Patty website at http://www.askpatty.com that launched June 8, 2006, provides a safe place for women to get advice on car purchases, maintenance and other automotive related topics online.

Women can get automotive advice when they go to AskPatty.com and and click on the "Get Advice" link. Questions are submitted to Ask Patty via email . The expert women will typically reply back to the consumer the same day.

Introducing the new Ask Patty Expert Panel Members:

Wendy Engelberg:
Wendy Engelberg is the Director of Operations and Founder of AutoVisuals, maker of the Auto Sharp Paint Pen™. A marker used to touch up the chips & scratches on your car. Wendy started in the automotive paint industry by having her own touch up company that went to the dealerships and touched up the cars and painted the bumpers. After multiple injuries from a previous horseback riding accident, she needed to find something new to do that was less physical. Since already having contacts at some of the dealerships and being aware of the need for a good touch up product, AutoVisuals was formed.

Wendy lives in Los Angeles, CA. and in her spare time is an avid mountain biker.

Maura Schreier-Fleming:
Maura Schreier-Fleming's first job at Mobil Oil was sales engineer. She sold industrial lubricants, passenger car motor oils and heavy-duty motor oils to a variety of industries. Next she became Mobil Oil's first female lubrication engineer in the United States. She left the oil industry, after working in it over 20 years, so she could work for herself. She established Best@Selling in 1997, a sales training and consulting company. She now writes several columns on selling and works with technical and business professionals on their skills and strategies to sell more and close business faster. Her background in technical sales helps her to understand the products of the clients she works with. She wants to work with other women so they can get the confidence to work in technical areas like the automotive industry. The automotive industry offers many opportunities for women to be successful.

Maura is based in Dallas, Texas and is an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Shelly LoCascio:
Shelly LoCascio is the Owner and Dealer Principal of Irwin Lincoln Mercury Mazda in Freehold, NJ. Irwin is a family owned business that has been serving Central Jersey for 47 Years. Her philosophy of always having the welcome mat out is a driving force at the dealership as well as Irwin's Mission Statement: We strive to exceed our customer's expectations.

This year Shelly's team of professionals is boasting Mazda's Gold Cup & Lincoln Mercury's Presidents Award for Customer Satisfaction. Shelly has lent her expertise by participating on numerous automotive committees over the years including: National Lincoln Mercury Dealer Council, Ford Training Advisory Board, Ford Motor Credit Co Dealers Advisory Board, NJCAR Executive Committee & Lincoln Mercury Brand Communications Advisory Board.

Shelly's philosophy is "It's All About The Karma". Treat people the way you want to be treated.

In their automotive advisory roles, Engelberg, Schreier-Fleming, and LoCascio will respond to questions from consumer women on automotive related topics via the website. The Ask Patty interactive advice blog launched May 22, 2006.

"We are very grateful to be adding these top women to our Advisory Panel," says Jody DeVere, President of Ask Patty. DeVere continues, "Each of these women have great experiences in the automotive industry and will provide added resources to the women who visit Ask Patty." According to DeVere Ask Patty provides the safe environment for women to get advice and information needed to feel empowered and confident when they go to their local dealership for car service, repairs, maintenance and to negotiate and purchase a new or used vehicle.

Peter Martin, CEO of AskPatty.com adds, "Our Advisory Panel keeps growing and we are thrilled to be adding even more qualified women to the board. This addition just expands the reach of Ask Patty and will elevate the woman consumer's experience on the site."

About AskPatty.com, Inc.:
Ask Patty provides women consumers an opportunity to send questions about car buying, selling, repair and maintenance to a panel of expert automotive women and is a safe online place to share and discuss their car buying experiences. Women can submit posts directly to the Ask Patty website by going to http://www.askpatty.com. The Ask Patty advisory panel of automotive expert women is headed up by Deborah Renshaw -- professional NASCAR driver, and is comprised of women who hold various leadership positions in the automotive industry.

Women purchase over 50 percent of all vehicles sold in the United States each year and influence 85 percent of the buying decisions, spending over $80 billion. Yet, shopping for and buying a car can be a challenge for women who are first time car buyers or for women who had a bad experience in the past with a car salesman or dealership.

Properly armed with the right tools and training your dealerships can increase its share of the largest and fastest growing demographic of new vehicle buyers in the U.S. -- Women Consumers. The Ask Patty Certified Dealer program was designed specifically for car dealerships to attract, sell, retain and keep loyal women consumers.

AskPatty.com is a member and 2006 corporate sponsor of the Women's Automotive Association International based in Detroit, MI, (http://www.waai.com), on the Women's Board of the Car Care Council, (http://carcare.org), a SEMA member (http://www.SEMA.org) and a member of the SEMA Business Women's Networking Group.