Friend, mentor, colleague, businessperson, leader, mother. The words of Jeanne Silver's daughter sum up the qualities that make her mother a Most Influential Woman.
This spring, she was named a 2002 Illinois Small Business Person of the Year Winner by the Governor's Office and was named the 2001 People's Choice Award Winner by The Daily Herald. These awards reflect her outstanding drive and significant contributions toward helping others.
"Getting your name out into the community is essential to a collision repair shop's success," says Jeanne. "No one really wants to come to a collision repair shop, but when there's a need, it's nice to know professionals you can trust."
Oddly enough, Jeanne's journey to the collision repair industry began in Paris, where she studied at the University of Paris, La Sorbonne and graduated with a degree in French. Coupled with a bachelor's degree from Mary Washington College in Virginia, Jeanne's bilingual skills led to a position with American Unic, a French automobile lift manufacturer that supplied portable lifts to the collision repair industry. As the eyes and ears for the parent company and its American unit, Jeanne worked her way up to the general manager responsible for $1.5 million in sales each year.
Next, Jeanne went to work for I-CAR in Rolling Meadows, Illinois as an independent consultant responsible for creating, training and staffing the customer service, purchasing, accounting and shipping departments.
In 1994, Jeanne left the training organization and began the marketing and financial research that led to the founding of Butterfield Bodyworks CARSTAR. After purchasing a 2-acre site and a 15,000 square foot building, they opened for business in June 1996.
Jeanne is especially proud of the fact that she and her husband were the first to launch a successful collision repair business with no prior experience in the field.
Butterfield Bodyworks CARSTAR grew to a $1.2 million business in its first two years. Today, it is among the top grossing businesses in the collision repair industry with sales over $2 million.
Recently featured in BodyShop Business, Butterfield CARSTAR is an innovator in the collision repair industry with its modern, clean and customer friendly facility.
With two children, now grown, Jeanne has been extremely involved in youth activities and academic programs. She founded Bills Cheerleading, an independent youth cheerleader organization involving over 300 girls in a volunteer organization.
She is a volunteer tutor of students and editor of special forums via the Internet with AOL in the Academic Assistance Center, which helps 25,000 students per month nationwide.
Jeanne is a very familiar face around Mundelein, where she serves on the Business Development Commission and the DBR Chamber of Commerce. As committee chair of Mundelein Mainstreet, an organization that rebuilds and revitalizes downtown areas, she orchestrated the Mundelein Guitar Festival, a two-day event that raised over $30,000.
She's also a force in the collision repair industry, serving as secretary of the National Auto Body Council and Pars Committee Co-Chair for CIC.
Jeanne's hobbies are reading and learning, and she's always studying new areas and expanding her knowledge. She's taken numerous I-CAR courses to help her better understand the technical aspects of the business, as well as leadership development training.
What drives Jeanne Silver? "I believe in giving back to others as much as I've been given. And I hope I can set an example for other women to believe in themselves, believe in others, and achieve their potential."
