Women Who Build

---

A SEMA Education Seminar Delves Into the Inspiring Backstory of the SBN All-Female Ford Bronco Build Project

››› Members of SBN build team and their male allies gathered to celebrate the Bronco's unveiling at the 2022 SEMA Show. All in all, more nearly 160 industry women were involved in the project.

Women vehicle builders are on the rise, and successive generations are now flexing their garage prowess in growing numbers. That fact was especially demonstrated in the SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) All-Female '21 Ford Bronco Wildtrak Build, unveiled last year at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The project proved transformational—not just for the Bronco but for the 157 female volunteers who made it happen. Built primarily at the Diamond Bar and Detroit SEMA Garages, the venture encompassed modifications to all the Wildtrak's elements, from suspension to body utility and appearance items. The volunteers hailed from every segment of the industry, and for many, the project opened new doors in teamwork, networking and skills training.

To highlight the build and what it meant for the women involved, SEMA Education presented the "Women Who Build—Powered by SBN" panel discussion just prior to the Bronco's unveiling at the Show. The panelists included moderator Jennifer Petraitis of Driven Lighting Group, and Bronco task-force leaders Sherry Kollien of Motorcity Solutions, Sara Morosan of LGE-CTS Motorsports, Rebeca Olavarrieta of Roco 4x4, and SEMA Board of Directors member Kathryn Reinhardt. The following are some educational highlights from the presentation, which is also available for on-demand viewing at www.sema.org/education.

Finding Inspiration

As moderator, Petraitis kicked off the session by asking the panelists how the project had inspired them and other women on the build team.

"I think that it means a lot of things," responded Olavarrieta. "It's like the emancipation of all that it means to be a woman in the industry. We had women in marketing, in logistics, renting, painting, sanding…" Just being able to gather women from across the United States, and even Canada, representing these and many other disciplines, made a powerful statement about the skills and experience they bring to the industry, she said.

Reinhardt emphasized the tremendous growth in female industry participation that the project represented. "I remember the first [SBN] build 10 years ago, the Ford Mustang. I was still green at my company. I didn't know a lot. I had heard of SEMA. I was participating and volunteering, but I didn't have the ability to really be a part of that Mustang build, and I was really jealous because I thought, 'Wow, look at all these badass women that are pulling together and creating this vehicle…'"

Presented with the opportunity to join the Bronco build this time around, Reinhardt jumped at the chance—and was pleased by how many other women did likewise. (There were more than 150 volunteers for the Bronco build compared to about 55 for the Mustang.)

Olivarrieta had volunteered to work on the vehicle's drivetrain, but only had experience with Jeeps and trucks. So she rented a Mustang and practiced on its drive components. "I was like, I can't make a mistake," she said, noting that she gained a lot from the experience.

››› The SBN All-Female Bronco Build's aim was to empower women builders while raising awareness of their many contributions to the aftermarket industry.

Developing New Skills

In fact, the SBN select committee carefully planned the Bronco build to offer volunteers a wide range of skills-development opportunities. This frequently meant pushing team members beyond their comfort zone, which in turn boosted their esteem.

"We made them face their fears!" Kollien quipped. "And you know what? The look on their face when they faced their fear—it was just empowering… It was amazing seeing that empowerment of them getting to just wrench on a vehicle, and they've never done it before, or whatever
it was."

Reinhardt agreed. "Some of these women never thought they could do driveshafts, right? They never knew that they could pull off a bumper. But now they have that skill set, and now they have that confidence, and they know that their company is supporting them as a result of that," she said.

Morosan observed that the build also involved more than wrenching. Many volunteers were needed to document the project's progress and disseminate images and information to the media and wider industry. Plus, team members were called upon to source parts, handle logistics, supervise e-mail campaigns and much, much more.

"I think that a lot of times we forget [that when] you see cars out here or companies out here, it takes a whole team for [those] things to happen," she said. "Seeing all the moving pieces is really pretty awesome."

Olavarrieta said the skills that team members developed on the project went a long way toward battling negative self-perceptions and building confidence.

"The industry is always evolving," she continued. "There's always new applications, so there's always something new to learn. So just embracing that—I think that seeing all the women learning something new and being excited about really transferring that knowledge again when they got back to their homes and offices [was] just really exciting."

Grit and Resourcefulness

Regardless of background, every industry builder can relate to the sorts of speed bumps the SBN team encountered along the way. For the women of the Wildtrak build, the obstacle course began almost the minute they settled on the vehicle that would serve as their creative canvas.

"When we started conversations with Ford about two years ago, there was no Bronco inventory, so it was it was a task to get a Bronco for free," explained Olavarrieta. "[Even] if you wanted to pay for a Bronco, you couldn't get one."

When the platform was finally secured, the next hurdle was setting the criteria for participation in the build and assembling the team. "A lot of companies wanted to volunteer, and we really wanted to make sure that we gave an opportunity to companies that were women-owned or that had women leadership because we this was what the project was about—to promote the advancement of women in the industry," said Olavarrieta.

Next, of course, followed the usual build conceptualization. The team opted for a tough, trail-ready Bronco designed specifically for women that avoided any "pink vehicle" stereotypes. The concept came to include power steps and removal of the back seat to make room for a gear platform and inflatable mattress for a secure car-camping environment. The vehicle also included a built-in kitchen for overlanding. The final design was chosen from approximately 15 entries by SBN membership at large.

With the concept dialed in, the build's task force set about mobilizing a host of different mechanical and non-mechanical work groups to move the project forward. "You know, wrenching is fun, welding is sexy, but there's a lot of work that happens in the background for all of the companies that are exhibiting in the SEMA Show. That is, you know, work that's not so sexy," Olavarrieta observed.

Of course, a lot of thinking on the fly took place when several product installations failed to go as planned. According to Kollien, that's when the many examples of teamwork and determination really showed forth.

"The first one that comes to mind was in Detroit, [where] we had some fitment issues," she said. "And the ladies, when we were trying to adjust things on the
bumper, had to pivot and fabricate. It happens all the time. And I got called away to do something else. And I come back and these ladies are getting cardboard out, drawing things, doing all this stuff."

"I'm like, 'Dang! They know what they're doing! I don't need to help them. I don't need to coach them.' So I think everyone just got creative. It's like, what's the problem? Let's look at it. How do we do it? How do we fix it? We would powwow and then figure out a game plan."

The build apparently resonated deeply with the overall industry as well. Many SEMA-member companies stepped forward as sponsors, supplying product and other resources. And although the builders were all female, the group gained a lot of support and encouragement from male allies in the aftermarket. Moreover, the panelists all agreed that it was exactly the right kind of male support. Men may have assisted here and there in providing information and know-how to the group, but only in a mentoring capacity. From start to finish, the project belonged to the SBN team—as did the heavy lifting.

"There were many male allies," said Kollien. "And I'm going to start where I am currently at, Motor City Solutions. If it wasn't for the owner and my boss,
I wouldn't be able to be here and be a part of this. So I'm very gracious [for] that."

"They were, ironically, thinking about doing a female build and sponsoring that. And I said, 'Well, guess what? I've got the right project for you.' So they blessed me to be a part of it. And guys like that are the ones that you want to have in your corner."

››› From left to right, the SEMA Show's "Women Who Build" seminar included Rebeca Olavarrieta, Kathryn Reinhardt, Sherry Kollien, Sara Morosan and moderator Jennifer Petraitis.

Fostering Involvement

As a group, the "Women Who Build" panelists expressed the hope that the SBN Bronco project would inspire more women to deepen their industry involvement, whether through the SBN or SEMA at large.

"This is where networking is very important in SBN," added Kollien. "And I'm going to keep saying this if you talk to me: network, network, network!"

"To me, it's finding those women that share that passion, or those men that are mentors as well, and they share those passions with you, and they get just as excited about it," added Morosan. "Or when you're going through something hard, they can be like, you know, 'Girl, you got this. You totally got this.' And just seeing that next generation of women coming together…to me is just amazing. And that's why we do it, right?"

The panelists also hoped that the all-female Bronco build would continue to be a meaningful symbol for industry women.

"Knowing that this particular build was an impact on young women, [and] knowing that this is actually affecting an entire group of SEMA companies, whether you are a sponsor, whether you donate time or product, or even your people, what I love about this is there is a great opportunity for more people to get involved. All you have to do is raise your hand," Olavarrieta emphasized.

For more information about the SBN Build please visit www.sema.org/sbn-build