Gaynel on holiday in Hawaii.

Gaynel Phillips is a mechanically minded woman who loves providing solutions to customers' difficult problems.

The national account manager for Nissan Forklift Corp North America (NFCNA) works from home and spends almost half her time travelling for her job.

The Illinois manufacturer's customers include companies like Safeway Inc and Maersk, with large forklift fleets and fleet purchasing ability. Phillips helps customers solve problems and assists them achieve solutions through providing safer work environments.

"Whether the company is a distributor, manufacturer or logistics partner, I find it extremely interesting to learn how things are made, how product is handled and why," she said.

Phillips entered the forklift industry through a friend's recommendation. Her friend Joan Fiorentino worked for a Los Angeles-based Toyota forklift dealer. Fiorentino's former boss, Ron Sievert, was seeking sales representatives to form a new sales team at a Nissan Forklift dealership.

"She suggested I contact him and make a career move. I drove him crazy about hiring me until he finally did."

The only woman in NFCNA's sales department, Phillips said she had observed that women and men worked differently.

"Women are more inclined to detail and help solve problems with an emphasis on the step-by-step process.

"As a whole, I think women are natural nurturers. The [problem-solving] process seems to be nurtured and guided along, with the value being the overall outcome of the accomplishment, not so much the result.

"I think men are more inclined to see the problem and envision a positive result with the emphasis on the result itself," she said.

Asked if she would encourage women to join the industry, Phillips was enthusiastic and positive.

"Absolutely and absolutely. I feel women may be a bit more 'tested' in this industry than men, but once a customer's confidence is earned, I feel our natural abilities to nurture make for a more solid customer relationship."

Phillips started her career with the Nissan Forklift dealership in the Los Angeles area in 1993. In 2004, she started working for NFCNA's factory in Marengo, Illinois, as a national account manager.

Phillips finds the Spec-Checker on the www.Forkliftaction.com website the most interesting aspect of the site. She said the only limitations for advancement were those people placed on themselves. "If there's a wall, find a way to climb it, go around it or make it disappear."

Asked about her age, Phillips said: "I am from the South, where they say a lady never tells and a gentleman never asks."

In her spare time, Phillips enjoys reading, writing, travelling, exercising and spending time at the beach.