Aniello, an automotive artiste trained in Italy to forge fenders by hand, puzzles over some of the innovations cooked up by his enterprising 35-year-old son, Domenic.
"It's a new generation," Aniello shrugs as I eye hot-pink boxes of windshield-wiper blades whose proceeds go toward the fight against breast cancer. "He knows more than I used to."
A crash course on women
Women hate to admit it, but most of us know squat about cars and can't be bothered to tend to them ourselves. I often fall for the upsell air filters at quickie oil-change places. I secretly love the fact that New Jersey law forbids me from pumping my own gas.
As a species, women put themselves at the mercy of a male-dominated industry. This was the world Domenic Nigro grew up in and thought he'd die in, until he had two daughters and an epiphany.
"It's not just about fixing cars anymore," he decided a year and a half ago. "It's about helping people."
Specifically, women, long intimidated by encounters involving their cars and their cash.
Domenic became a disciple of www.askpatty.com, a California company providing women with reliable automotive advice. Nationwide, 900 dealers and collision centers have completed the firm's program on how to attract, retain, and wow women customers. After online training and tests, Nigro's became the first body shop in Philadelphia to earn Ask Patty's "Certified Female Friendly" seal.
"I learned how to talk to, react to, and be more compassionate with my female customers," he shares. "Men who come here are focused on price. Women are more about, 'How do I feel about this person?' "
Think pink
