Life and Work with Rochelle Gotsdiner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rochelle Gotsdiner.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My parents migrated to Dallas from Russia in 1989 truly on the chase of my father’s American Dream. They came to a new country with my Brother who was 2 at the time, 4 suitcases, $400, and no idea where they were going when they stepped off the plane in Dallas. My Mother stood by my Father’s side as he was on a chase to build a life for his family.

In 1996 my parents opened Northrich Automotive in Richardson, TX. At the time, the shop was a small less than 2,000 sq. ft. facility with the very basic equipment that they rented from another landlord. My father was truly doing whatever he could with the limited resources they had available. My mother tells me that when I cried as a child she would put me in my stroller & I could sit quietly watching my father work for hours. Little did I know that the view would eventually become my future vision as well.

The automotive business began growing and eventually my parents were able to build their own 7,000 sq. ft. 13 bay facility. The business was booming and honestly my brother nor I ever had any interest in “managing” the shop. We both just focused on our own goals and our own interests in life. The business grew so much that in 2016 my father opened Northrich Collision Center, our 2nd location, a 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Garland, TX. More on the second facility in a little bit.

I grew up always running around with my older brother and cousins wanting to do anything “tom-boyish”. Eventually I became girly girl and spent most of childhood involved in gymnastics and cheerleading competitively and for my school. I was even my Varsity cheer captain. I was always fascinated by science and health so I ended up going to the University of Oklahoma and graduating with my BS in Health and Exercise Science.

I spent a few years working in the medical field for a medical sales company. I was always intrigued in health and the ability to help people feel better in their own skin. I enjoyed the medical field for the most part but eventually considered becoming a personal trainer. I even became a Nationally Qualified Bikini Competitor and won my first competition. I started realizing that I had an ability to positively influence others to go after their goals and feel good about their own God given qualities. I was just a girl living in Dallas focused on living her best life, who enjoyed hanging out with friends and would always put her family first.

In December of 2017 my parents started sharing with my Brother & I what the financial situation was for the Automotive & Collision Center family business. Things started falling apart when my father spent time expanding the business as the previous management started purposefully crumbling the business my parents worked so hard to build. Keep in mind that neither of us ever had interest in managing this family business. But I remember the exact moment I told my Brother that now was the time for us to jump in and help our parents save the business. It was so bad that if it wasn’t for us stepping in my family would have had to close our doors.

I had no idea how to manage an automotive or collision center. I honestly had very little knowledge, if any, about anything automotive or collision related. I went to school to study science, spent time in the medical field, and was at a point in my life where I enjoyed all things girl. But my family is my everything and something just told me this was my calling.

Another big personal accomplishment of mine is being Captain for BVBDallas – a young-professional organization that hosts a powder-puff football game for a day of fun, fellowship, philanthropy and enjoyment as a way of raising money for Alzheimer’s research and awareness. I play in honor of my Babushka (Grandmother in Russian) who passed away from a long battle to this disease. My Grandmother really did help my hardworking parents raise me. She instilled a lot of my hard work ethic that I carry today. She inspired me to go after my dreams and always reminded me that a woman should be a lady… but needs to be able to take care of herself.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This has honestly been the hardest yet most rewarding half year of my life. I am a woman in a male dominate field with zero experience and trying to manage two different garages. I didn’t even know what a VIN was on my first day of work and now I find myself reading car books and magazines.

I have dealt with employees, customers, and sales reps who refuse to talk to me because I am female. I have individuals who feel I am too young to know what I am talking about. I’ve chosen to take my situation and accept it as a challenge that I know I will defeat. I use the negative remarks to push myself to drive harder in this business.

I have joined a mentor group specific to the automotive industry. This relationship has allowed me to ask questions and learn how other people deal with issues I encounter. I am able to rely on my mentor group for assistance in successful business practices. I am constantly reaching out to others for recommendations or help. I highly suggest never feeling so successful that you are too good for others to help you. Humble yourself enough to know you can accomplish a goal but can also use the support of the resources around you.

I know the automotive industry doesn’t seem like the most glamorous field and owning your own business can be tedious work. I’ve also seen how my female traits have been able to bring my family business a new set of blessings. My attention to details has impressed those customers who might have doubted me initially. I might not be able to fully diagnosis their vehicle damage but I can relate to the customer and guarantee them a safe repair. I can assess a process and implement organization that has allowed our customers to receive their vehicle in a timely manner. I can also guarantee that we are honest and loyal to our customers which is very difficult to find in the automotive industry.

When you own your own business it allows you to set your future self-up for success. Of course I have long days and late nights because I’m putting in extra work to clean the business up… but one day my children will thank me. Every day I remind myself of my goals and what I am aiming to accomplish. I highly recommend to write a list of your long term and short term goals for your business and personal life. Reevaluate those goals at the end of every month and keep yourself accountable.

I challenge you to actually learn something new every single day. Get comfortable being uncomfortable because I promise it will help you grow. I recommend to go after every opportunity you see even if you don’t think it’s possible. The worst thing any person can tell you is “NO” they don’t want your services or to work with your business. Remember who told you “NO” as you started to establish yourself and reproach them in 6 months. Follow up, follow up, follow up… and then follow up some more. I once had to call a business 12 times over a month’s timespan before they started working with us. And now they are one of our greatest clients and they appreciate the structure I have implemented.

And then honestly… just go for it! If you want something, go get it. No one can stop you but yourself. Take risks and chase them.

Please tell us about Northrich Automotive & Collision Center.
We are a full service Automotive & Collision Center. We specialize in keeping your vehicle safe and reliable with routine maintenance, service and repairs. Basically the Automotive shop focuses on preventative maintenance, transmission services, brakes, oil / lube service, and any emergency repairs. The Collision Center can fix any size of accident damage, hail damage, or giving some TLC to update your vehicle.

A Few of Our Many Services:

Automotive:

• Alignments
• Alternators/Batteries
• Air Condition Repair
• Brakes
• Engine Repair
• Factory Maintenance
• Muffler/Exhausts
• Inspections
• Oil Changes
• Suspension
• Radiators and Cooling

Collision:

• Collision Repair
• Hail Repair
• Paintless Repair & Removal
• Bumper, Fender and Paint Repair
• Auto Glass Repair & Replacement
• Rhino Linings
• Window Tinting
• Vehicle Detailing
• Headlight Restoration
• Wheel Repair
• Upholstery Repair

We are your one stop shop for all of your vehicle repairs including Automotive, Collision, and the tow-truck to help you out on the side of the road. We are family owned and operated which will allow us to go the extra mile for our customers. I’m proud to hear the amount of customers who always applaud my father for his loyalty and hard work ethic. It really is rare to see a mechanic who has been able to keep his business running for over 20 years no matter the trials and tribulations he has faced. I’m honored to be able to service my customers with trust and dignity when it comes to their vehicles or safety on the road.

A new philanthropy that my Brother & I have started for our company is called “Wheels for Prosperity”. We have partnered with some of our vendors to be able to donate a vehicle to a person in need in the community. We want to give back to those around us and this was a perfect opportunity. We are looking to do this at least twice a year and hopefully even more.

We are proud to claim ourselves as the only family owned auto shop that focuses on the body & soul for all local family and fleet drivers in the DFW area. We want to give our customers a piece of mind by keeping them safe on the road in an era when autoshops are hard to trust.

Who have you been inspired by?
I know it sounds cliché but my Mother, my Aunt, and my Grandmother have always inspired me.

My mother has always supported my father in his wild dreams. She moved to a different country with him not knowing if she would ever see her family again. She trusted him when they put their entire savings into the automotive shop. She took it upon herself to learn how she could be of assistance in establishing their business. Without my Mother being my Father’s backbone none of this would have ever been established.

I grew up surrounded by woman who knew how to take a rough situation and make the best of it. My Aunt is an absolute angel and has really helped keep my mom sane in tough situations. I promise you’ve never met a sweeter pair of sisters that will literally do anything for anyone. They both have hearts of gold. I’m sure they got it from my beloved Babushka who passed away from Alzheimer’s. My Babushka was a true inspiration in that she was a proper lady, fearless of the unknown, firm in her beliefs, and a fighter until she just couldn’t fight anymore.

Nastia Liukin was another childhood inspiration of mine. Ironically, her mother was my first ever gymnastics Coach. I remembered seeing Nastia work so hard to achieve her dreams. She would put in countless hours in the gym, winning medals all throughout her career and then she became the 2008 Olympic individual all-around champion. I looked up to her as someone who set a goal and kept pushing until she finally achieved it.

I’m also always inspired by Ellen DeGeneres and the way she carries herself so well. She is funny, likeable, always politically correct and there’s honestly not many people that can say anything bad about her.

I’m inspired by my good friend Kelsey Collins. Kelsey also comes from the car world as her parents own “Collins Bro Jeeps”. We have been able to push each other to go after new goals and become an example for females in the automotive industry. We both experience the challenges of working in a family business but reap the benefits of being educated, driven, females in the auto industry.

Contact Info:

• Address: Rochelle Gotsdiner
  @rochellegfit
• Website: https://northrichauto.com/
• Phone: 972-669-9990
• Email: Rochelle.Gotsdiner@northrichauto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northrichauto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northrichauto
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/northrichcollision/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/Rochellegfit/

Image Credit:
Dallas Observer – BVBDallas Football Charity Game @ cotton bowl
photo credit: Kirk Edwards (“Monkey Pecker” ’34 Ford Coupe build by Gas Monkey Garage”)

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