Shannon Willsher
Funny thing about time, it marches on regardless, and sometimes you find yourself in a dèja vu moment.
I had the opportunity to do a video interview recently with a really dynamic young industry leader, Shannon Willsher, the General Manager of Pfaff Audi in Newmarket, Ontario. It wasn’t the first time I’d interviewed her. Shannon and I met 10 years ago when she was still a student attending the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College in Barrie, Ont.
By the time this article is published the secret will be out: Shannon is the deserving winner of the 2024 ABSC Alumni Award. This award is bestowed each year by the college to a graduate of the Automotive Business School of Canada who:
- is a graduate from the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College;
- has demonstrated extraordinary success in their industry;
- has some form of ongoing engagement with ABSC and Georgian College;
- has created a path that is inspirational to our students.
Shannon checks all the above boxes, and then some.
But I wasn’t surprised with her award win. I remember having been impressed with her and her colleagues when I interviewed them about their Georgian Auto Show experience a decade earlier. You could just tell they had the right attitude, poise, demeanor and passion for automotive that would propel them forward to bright careers.
Now, Shannon having made it to the position of General Manager of a high-profile, high volume Audi store in a relatively brief period of time is really something noteworthy. Shannon started with the Pfaff group as a co-op student, did a stint in the aftermarket and the OEM world and then settled back into automotive retail, in sales, sales management and ultimately made it to GM. She also graduated from the ABSC’s Dealer Academy, which is a training program that helps equip senior dealership personnel for roles as GMs and ultimately dealer principals.
What impressed me most after chatting with Shannon, was her commitment and passion to continue to give back to the school that helped launch her career. She didn’t have any family or connections in the auto industry when she started the program, and networked and hustled her way to a rewarding career.
Now she actively and regularly takes part in events at the college, working with the next generation of talent, and hires co-op students at her dealership. She says she knows what it was like being outside the industry, and now wants others to understand that when you graduate from ABSC you aren’t alone, there’s a network of people out there who will recognize and support you.
When she talks about her allegiance to the program, and how proud she is to be an alumni, she lights up and can’t say enough good things about it. If you know, you just know, she says about what it means to be part of the ABSC alum network.
Shannon also makes a point to encourage more young women to attend the program and continue to advance their careers. When she started, she said there were only two women in the program.
For dealerships who aren’t taking advantage of hiring ABSC co-op students at your stores — you are missing out on a huge opportunity. The next Shannon, or Ahmad, or Lisa could be in the program right now looking for an employer to connect with to start their automotive career.
