Bonnie Artale

I've been working in my current role in the automotive industry for 22 years now, after spending over 20 years in real estate as a property manager and commercial agent in both the United States and Canada. I made the pivot to automotive when I moved back from Canada in 2000 because I was pretty well burned out with property management - it was highly demanding, time-consuming, working 50 to 60 hours a week with a lot of weekends and evenings. I was tired and pushing 50, so it was time to do something different. Today, I manage a couple of trust funds and oversee various business affairs for my employer, who is finally slowing down after these 20 years. We're eliminating a lot of what he has acquired, selling off property, and letting the fledglings fly - his kids are now in their 30s and it's time for them to take responsibility. Things are starting to slow down, which is great, because my semi-nonprofit staff and volunteer work is now taking on a little bit more time and energy than my regular 9-to-5 job. That's exactly where I need to be at this point in time.