'Auto Trends' Talks To An HBCU Alum About How The Family Tobacco Farm From The 1800s Laid The Path To Become The Only Top-Tier Black Female Auto Supplier

Lisa Lunsford, CEO of GS3, is the only Black female top-tier auto supplier. (Photo Credit: Lisa Lunsford)

Lisa Lunsford, the CEO and co-founder of the Detroit-based auto manufacturer, Global Strategic Supply Solutions, talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only syndicated multicultural automotive radio program in North America.

At the time of our conversation four years ago, Lunsford was one of two Black women in the automotive manufacturing industry who headed a Tier One company. A Tier One business supplies the parts to build cars directly to a major automaker. To put this in perspective, the average car consist of 30,000 to 90,000 of parts. Today we believe she is the only Black women in this role.

 

Sister CEO: The Only Black Female Co-Founder Of A Tier One Auto Supplier Talks To 'Auto Trends'

Lisa Lunsford, the CEO and co-founder of the Detroit-based auto manufacturer, Global Strategic Supply Solutions, talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com.

Lunsford is one of two Black women in the manufacturing industry who heads a Tier One company, suppling parts to build cars directly to a major automaker.

 

However, what distinguishes this proud trailblazing HBCU graduate, is that she is the co-founder of a company that supplies parts directly to a key automaker, helping them build their cars. The HBCU graduate has been widening the road on a lane that normally hasn’t been traveled by women, more specifically Black woman. Over the years because of the success of her company, she’s been cited as one of the top women-owned businesses in Michigan, as well as being noted in Black Enterprise magazine top 100 businesses.

 

SiriusXM 'Auto Trends' Talks Two A Two Time Cancer Survivor With A Broken Marriage Became A Pioneering LatinX Female Auto Dealer

Entrepreneur and Cancer Survivor Marion Luna Bream (photo credit: MLB)

Trailblazer Marion Luna Brem joins Auto Trends with JeffCars.com to share how she took control of her life after a series of unexpectd events literally through a wrench in her plans, causing her to lose her self esteem. Brem, who has authored two motivational books, found herself breaking barriers in a field that has not been welcoming to women, more specifically women of color. She is one of a few Hispanic women who has managed to shatter the dealership ceiling -- becoming an automobile dealer. In fact, she owns two dealerships in South Texas and has been one of a handful of women to be recognized by the Automotive Hall of Fame, the highest honor one can receive in the car industry.

Melissa Harville-Lebron Shares On 'Auto Trends' How Love, Music And A Near Death Experience Drove The Mother Of Seven To Become A NASCAR Team Owner

Melissa Harville-Lebron (Photo Credit: Melissa Harville-Lebron)

If you’re a racing fan, you’re more than likely familiar with such history makers as Willy T. Ribbs, Wendell Scott, Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr., Latrice ‘Tia’ Norfleet and Lewis Hamilton.

Unlike the aforementioned noted names, barrier breaker Melissa Harville-Lebron has not spent countless hours behind the wheel racking up laps. She’s literally taken a different course of action to steer the wheel and break into this male dominated sport, which lacks diversity in terms of both melanin and gender.

The Only Woman To Lead A Mainstream Automotive Magazine Talks To 'Auto Trends' On Friday, March 30

Photo Credit: Twitter Jean Jennings

As we wrap up the month, featuring pioneering women in the automotive industry, Jean Jennings, who once served as the editor-in-chief and president of Automobile Magazine and as an automotive correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America, shares her journey in this male dominated industry. In fact, Jennings has been the only woman to serve in a senior level role for an auto enthusiasts magazine. As a footnote, there is a young lady who holds a senior level position for one of the automotive car-buying websites.

Jennings, who once considered herself to be the black sheep in a family of brothers, takes our listeners on a fascinating and somewhat comical journey on how she went from being a college drop out at an early age to a taxi cab driver to landing positions at two key automotive magazines to how a restructuring left her and other women from Automotive Magazine without jobs. She also talks about the influential men who led her to go into overdrive in order to exceed their expectations.