Jessica Toliuszis is VP Major Accounts for Highline Warren, where she’s worked for about two years. Prior to that she spent roughly a decade with manufacturer’s rep firm N.A. Williams, where she said she expected to say “forever.” However, when the opportunity arose to help Highline Aftermarket and Warren Distribution combine 100 years of experience in distribution and manufacturing, create a team from scratch and then build a business strategy around that, “that was pretty enticing to me. They made it pretty exciting,” she said.
When talking about what she loves about her job at Highline Warren, Jessica describes her purpose as “responsible disrupting.” You can also see her influencing this same type of positive change in her role as the current chair of Women in Auto Care, which recently held its annual leadership conference in Palm Springs, California, with roughly 300 in attendance. She shares that regardless of what situation she’s in, she hopes to leave a positive impact on those around her by how she made them feel.
“One of my very favorite quotes, and it’s something that if you have come to a Women in Auto Care conference or if you’ve spent any time around me, you’ve probably heard me say, and it’s what Maya Angelou wrote,” said Jessica. “She wrote that, “People will forget what you say and people will forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.’”
In the episode, Babcox Editors Amy Antenora and Nadine Battah join Jessica to talk about the following topics:
01:24 Jessica’s career path from jewelry and home décor to auto parts
03:25 Responsible disrupting and what it is exactly
04:10 Why women are hesitant to toot our own horns in the professional world
08:29 How to get involved with Women in Auto Care – in-person on online
09:23 Tips and tricks for being more confident in professional settings
11:37 How Jessica defines success
16:42 What she would be doing if she wasn’t a VP Major Accounts
20:21 The critical value of networking and human connection
23:16 Proudest career moments so far
24:43 Mentors and guides
AMN, Counterman and Babcox Media are honored to introduce the fourth-annual class of Women at the Wheel honorees in just a few short weeks in May 2023. Each year since 2020, the May issue of AMN magazine has profiled female leaders from around the automotive aftermarket, showcasing the many accomplishments of these hard-working women, who often go unrecognized.
To learn more about the program and all the AMN Women at the Wheel honorees, click here.
