When Cassie Morgret started working as a cashier downtown, she was full of questions. She wanted to know absolutely everything about everything, and her managers Adrian Brown and Jason Job, took the time to answer all her questions.

“They were patient and kind and encouraged my growth,” Cassie said. “I like to learn, and there was always new stuff to learn.”

Eventually Cassie moved into lead cashier, then to hood tech, pit tech, and then to operations (assistant) manager. Now she’s manager of the Laurel MasterLube store, and she’s continuing to learn more about her job and herself every day.

Nationwide, women make up less than 8 percent of the workforce in the automotive service industry. It’s a male dominated field, but team building and an emphasis on training has resulted in a commitment to bucking that trend. Women are on staff at all stores, working in all areas of operation. Currently, Cassie is one of two female store managers, and over the years, there have been numerous women in leadership and technical roles at MasterLube.

Cassie said that at every stage in her career, she has had support and encouragement from management and her peers. She’s learned not only how to service a vehicle, but she’s gained leadership skills and learned about herself as well.

“I’ve gotten so far because MasterLube provides such a good foundation for life,” Cassie said. “There’s no limit to the amount of growth you can achieve.”

Brandy Wardrip is also a store manager for MasterLube. She started 12 years ago as a cashier when she was in high school. Brandy said she loved learning new things and staying busy so working her way up to manager came naturally. Along the way, she received the training she needed to become a good team leader.

“I always was given the chance to move up,” Brandy said. “It was never a stand-still job.”

Among her coworkers, being female was never an issue, but customers occasionally gave her puzzled looks. “Especially older guys – it catches them off-guard when a girl comes up with their air filter to talk to them about their truck,” Brandy said.

Brandy encourages women to apply for any job they desire – whether in a male-dominated field like automotive work or not. She believes career opportunities are available to anyone willing to put in the work.

“Being a woman has never been an issue,” she said “If you do your best, everything will work out for good.”

Michelle Gallagher, MasterLube’s office manager, was one of the company’s first female managers. Like Cassie, she worked her way up the ranks – under the hood and working alongside technicians – to become manager of the Grand Avenue store almost 20 years ago. She went on to inventory management for the entire company before moving into her position at the main office. She’s proud of the women who’ve followed in her footsteps and got in there and got dirty with the guys.

“I’d like to think I’ve helped them along,” Michelle said.

When someone – female or male – asks her about career opportunities at MasterLube, Michelle always encourages them to apply. Even if they only work for the company for a year, they’ll gain valuable personal insight.

“You’ll grow as a person,” she said. “That’s what MasterLube does.”