Dependable. Efficient. Enthusiastic.

These are qualities a company seeks in all its employees and they're the qualities that have helped Vickie Kretshmann earn the inaugural Locator UpFront Secretary of the Year award.

Vickie has been with 67 Motors, Inc., of Pfafftown, N.C., for two years and has transformed the company's secretarial position to one of many facets. "She's our secretary and she works with accounts receivable and payroll, she works the counter, she'll go with guys to pick up cars when they need another driver," said 67 Motors' Greg White, who nominated Kretshmann for the award. "Her attitude is always good, real positive, real encouraging. She's like 'our girl Friday.' "

"I work in a male-dominated field," she said. "A lot of guys, when they call up, will be surprised when I answer the phone." Of 67 Motors' 10 employees, Kretshmann is the only female.

"She definitely holds her own with the guys," White noted.

Plus, Vickie has expanded her role with the company. "Before she took the position, there was no customer service. Our secretary just sat at her desk," White recalled. "When Vickie came to work she was enthusiastic enough to work the front counter. It's like she has a sign on her forehead that says 'talk to me.' "

Her children--daughter Heather, 23, son Aaron, 22, and son-in-law Jamie--all attend college in Michigan and Vickie will graduate in December with a degree in psychology after taking night classes. She has spent much of her life around cars, including a job with the Ford Motor Company in Michigan.

"I like it very much," she said of her current position with 67 Motors. "They beg me not to leave, not that I want to. Sometimes when I'm mad I'll wander out into the yard to cool off."

Special Mentions

Khristina Lambeedon
Superior Auto Parts
San Fernandon, Calif.
Nominated by Bubba Valdes and Lewis Woo

Joann Lorenz
Chicago Collision Center
Chicago, Ill.
Nominated by Michael Alperin