Patricia Felder has never given much thought to the novelty of being a female leader in the male world of collision auto parts. She’s been more interested in another measuring stick: her small business’ David-vs.-Goliath accomplishments against national conglomerates that have swallowed up independents.
Founded in 1986 by Felder and her husband, Wayne, Felder’s Collision Parts began as a Hammond-based electroplating company that quickly shifted to selling aftermarket replacement bumpers to regional body shops.
By 1993, the Felders added other collision parts, with Wayne spearheading sales, and Patricia handling management and accounting. Juggling two children at home, they expanded their customer base, outgrew several warehouses and added more staff.
By 1999, Felder’s was ready for significant expansion. GO Zone funds helped build a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Baton Rouge and take the business to the next level, Felder says. Today, 25 full-time employees and a fleet of 15 trucks supply aftermarket collision parts and remanufactured original equipment manufacturer parts to body shops in south and central Louisiana and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Felder started her career as an apparel buyer after graduating with a degree in accounting from the University of Mississippi. She liked the transition from clothing to cars; it gave her a chance to balance books, research new markets and build an ethic of strong customer service.
Success, Felder says, is the result of standing behind products for life, carefully opening and inspecting boxes before they’re shipped out and shooting straight with awaiting body shops about product availability.
“Since the day we opened the business,” she says, “we have treated our customers the way we would like to be treated.”
Felder’s Collision Parts has grown steadily, but it hasn’t always been easy. Public perception of aftermarket parts, the generic alternative to a manufacturer-labeled OEM replacement product, suffered significantly after a high-profile lawsuit in 1999.
State Farm Insurance was penalized for requiring customers to use only aftermarket parts, not OEM parts. Felder recalls local media reports preceded any mention of aftermarket parts with the word “inferior” until she went on the offensive about the value competitively priced, quality-certified aftermarket products. One talk radio host offered a retraction and gave Felder airtime to present her case.
For Felder, the incident was another example of small businesses doing battle with forces that seem insurmountable. Similarly, she has experienced the familiar challenge of competing with national competitors that undercut prices or with regional competitors headquartered in states with tax structures less onerous than Louisiana’s.
These issues—and more—have made Felder an enthusiastic advocate for small business. She serves as state chairman for the Small Business Association Advisory Board, and is active with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the local chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.
“I have a passion for small businesses,” she says, “and I want to continue to develop their role and to bring their voice to the table. They are the ones that have kept this economy going.”
