Ashlee Arnold
Vice President
Arnold Oil Company of Austin LP
Ashlee Arnold always knew she was going to work in the family business. Her great-grandparents, Gene and Mamie Arnold, founded the original Arnold Oil Company in 1939. Her dad, Jim Arnold, launched the company’s current operation in 1977. Her parents have worked side by side in the business their entire married lives. Ashlee and her brother, Jayson, have been working there since they were old enough to separate coins and pull parts.
After graduating from the University of Texas, Arnold briefly worked in banking, to get a different perspective on the business world. But she always knew her home was in the automotive aftermarket. “You’re surrounded by such incredible people in this industry,” Arnold says. “You get to know them, their families, just how genuine and caring everybody is. The whole aftermarket becomes your family.”
In 2019, Arnold received the Auto Care Association’s Impact Award for her contributions to the industry, and she currently is chair of the association’s Young Auto Care Network Group and vice chair of the Aftermarket Warehouse Distributors Association. Her advice to women in the aftermarket is simple: Speak up. “Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion, because people genuinely want to hear it,” Arnold says. She also urges women to get involved in the industry.
“The more you get involved and the more people you know, the more you can see how much the industry really does support women.”