Getting Hitched
Jamey Wozniak has hitched her wagon to a star...
Jamey Wozniak's, BBA '86 MI Marketing/Management, career has taken many turns and she has seen success everywhere she goes. Jamey Wozniak's career path began in a normal fashion. She got a job. It was a good job and she also happened to be very good at it. In fact, she was so good, two times head hunters called with bigger and better positions. As a rising star in the corporate world, Wozniak's professional life was on the fast track.
But we're getting ahead of the story. Let's start back in May of 1986. Wozniak immediately landed a position with an advertising firm right after graduation. One year later an opportunity at Helene Curtis in Chicago came along and she began her climb up their corporate ladder. She first worked within administration and then moved on to the manufacturing plant. Five years later a head hunter came calling and Wozniak found herself in a bigger and better position at Sony Electronics. Her territory ranged from Minnesota to Texas. After several years with Sony, another head hunter called with a position as Vice President of Human Resources for Adams Elevator. It was an offer too good to refuse.
Things went well at Adams, but sometimes when you are busy living, life comes along with other plans. Future husband, Matt, came into the picture and after tying the knot the couple moved to Texas. Wozniak served as a professional consultant to Adams Elevator. Next came a move to Florida, then Detroit, then back to Dallas. She kept her professional sanity all the while and the couple welcomed their new baby, Lexi, into their lives.
Putting her entrepreneurial and her creative skills to use, she opened "It's Simply Yours," an interior decorating firm specializing in reorganizing and rearranging furniture and accessories clients already owned. Wozniak was a great success and eventually sold the business for a tidy profit.
And that's when the opportunity to buy Joe's Hitch & Trailer, a Dallas landmark since 1932, presented itself. Joe's installs hitches, repairs trailers, and sells truck accessories. Not your typical feminine business. People sometimes wonder, "what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"
But a woman's perspective can bring welcome changes. Wozniak's human resource skills, her decorating acumen, and her business savvy have already helped Joe's increase sales substantially.
What is the secret to this remarkable alumna's success? Boundless energy, to be sure, a great business education (kudos to Northwood University!), but first and foremost is Wozniak's ability to throw herself full force into everything in which she is involved.
During her undergraduate years on the Michigan Campus, Wozniak took advantage of every opportunity. She was Homecoming Queen; she was active with her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega; and she loved her Term in Europe. But most of all, she loves people. You can hear it in her voice from the first conversation, you can hear in the words she uses, and you can see how well people respond to her warmth and sincerity.
But make no mistake, Wozniak does her homework. "People buy from whom they know and trust. When I first bought Joe's, I researched what I needed to know. What I found out about dangerous trailers and hitches was enough to make me cry. Poorly trained operators, inappropriate weight capacity, no brake control systems, and other malfunctions can lead to horrific accidents.
Since she took over the business, not a single customer leaves Joe's Hitch & Trailer without a full safety orientation. They receive a brochure on how to tow and get an eight-point quality inspection as well. If Wozniak is in the shop, you can count on her walking out to the parking lot with the customer. Just checking things out, just making sure everything is okay.
In addition, Wozniak delivers public service announcements on the radio about hitch and trailer safety. She is active with her professional association and best of all, as far as we're concerned, Wozniak has connected with Northwood's Texas Campus where she is an active alumna.
Let's keep an eye on this remarkable young woman because it seems that Jamey Wozniak has hitched her wagon to a star…literally! By: Linda Mathieu
