Women at the Wheel Podcast, Ep. 7: Advance Auto Parts’ Kerry Pryor 

Kerry Pryor, senior marketing manager, TechNet Professional for Advance Auto Parts, recently joined us for a chat in-studio during a trip to Northeast Ohio for very special event.

In the nomination for Kerry Pryor, who is a 2022 Women at the Wheel honoree, her nominator described her as having been a "stabilizing force" for Tech-Net members during the turbulent years of the pandemic. Working behind-the-scenes to help advance the businesses of the more than 15,000 TechNet affiliated repair shops across the U.S., she says joining the aftermarket five years ago from a role in the fashion industry was one of the best decisions she ever made.

"I love helping our independent shops. In my role, I feel like I’m able to be a true partner to our independent shops. I feel like I’m able to make a difference," she said. "I’m also really energized by the depth and breadth of my role. I get to help solve problems with our internal sales team. I get to work with merchants across different product categories. TechNet Professional is a high-visibility program for us, so I’m able to connect with our leaders, and then I’m also able to work directly with professional installers, professional customers, shop owners and also the motorists. I like building the brand of TechNet, building awareness of car maintenance and why it's important to bring your car to a professional shop."

Pryor is not only passionate about causes critical to the aftermarket but to the greater community as well. Each year, Kerry leads TechNet's annual Brakes for Breasts fundraiser campaign, which offers motorists the chance to give or get a $40 rebate on brakes to support the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund.

Last month Kerry joined us in-studio the day before going to Cleveland to present this year's fundraiser check to the fund. Now in its fifth year, the program has raised more than $62,000 for breast cancer vaccine research.

"It really is so much more than a campaign. Everyone knows someone who's been affected by breast cancer, and we just love turning TechNet Nation pink every single fall. It's our customers’ favorite promotion. People go crazy with the pink. We’ve raised over $60,000, over 200 million impressions across digital channels, over 8,000 rebates submitted. I’m just so grateful that Carquest Brakes for Breasts and TechNet have been such close partners over the past few years. We want to keep going and raise money for a great cause."

During the interview, Kerry also shared:

03:32 Her role at Advance and what she loves most about it

07:17 How Kerry approaches professional challenges

08:54 How to know when it's time for a break

09:50 Proudest moments of her career so far

13:38 The importance of mentoring

19:46 What advice she’d give her younger self

20:20 What it was like growing up in her dad's shop