Judy Zimmerman-Walter
Owner, CFO and much more!
Zimmerman’s Automotive
To Judy Zimmerman-Walter, the automotive repair industry wasn’t just a convenient job opportunity in a town called Mechanicsburg. It was a way of life – and the best way she knew to spend time with her father.
“I’ve always loved cars,” Walter says, “and I used to play at the family business as a kid because that’s the only way I saw my dad. I always had a heart for it and I loved cars, so in 1975 after high school, I started in the business.”
Zimmerman-Walter says she pumped gas, did the daily bookkeeping, and handled the extensive PennDOT safety inspections.
Today, Zimmerman’s Automotive consists of a 20,000-square-foot facility with a 12-bay service shop, a 35-car auto sales lot, and a quick-lube oil change center. “Since we opened in1958, we’ve added services, but we’ve never changed the values in being a family-owned business. Trust, respect, and integrity define how we do business,” says Zimmerman-Walter.
Zimmerman-Walter says she has a three-part mantra for personal success in the industry.
“One, I need to have a keen awareness of myself – I have to know what I really want and who I am. Two, I need a tough skin. And three, I just have to learn to laugh,” she says.