The automotive industry provides countless opportunities for hot rod enthusiasts to spread their wings. For Marlena Solomon, she found her home at Royal Purple as their Communications Specialist nearly four years ago and has significantly contributed to the automotive industry since. That’s why this month, we’re proud to introduce Solomon as our first official Rod Authority Leading Lady!

A Communications Specialist In The Making

A true die-hard in everything she puts her mind too, Solomon started at Royal Purple in January of 2010, but before getting on with the industry giant, she was a freelance editor for a quarterly lifestyle magazine in North West Houston. Having to hone her talents for the publication, Solomon developed her marketing and communication skills tenfold and has been able to transfer all she learned to Royal Purple’s magnificent goal- providing top-notch lubricating products to the private and commercial sects of the automotive industry.

“I am part of the marketing team so we support both the automotive retail and industrial sides of the company,” Solomon explained to us during our interview. “Our job is to continuously get the word out about Royal Purple products; new products to already established consumers, and to educate the mainstream audience about the brand and our product’s benefits.”

As the first person to hold the position of Communications Specialist for RP, a job that became necessary with Royal Purple’s growth and the VP of Marketing’s increased role in the company, Solomon prides herself on promoting the Royal Purple brand and their products. She’s also the person behind RP’s social media sites, like their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Thanks in part to Solomon’s dedication, RP now has 460,000 followers on Facebook, a significantly larger number than the 57 Facebook followers the company had in February of 2011, and 13,000 followers on Twitter.

But managing Royal Purple’s social media isn’t the only thing that Solomon does.

“I manage our public relations firm assisting approving copy and distribution, work with our syndicated news agencies on editorial calendars and write copy, assist in writing industrial articles, proof company literature, and create, write, and distribute internal and consumer e-newsletters.”

Solomon also started the ever-popular Royal Purple Ladies Facebook page last October and has since sponsored the All-Female Shootout at the National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA) event in Norwalk, Ohio. To top it all off, Solomon will be helping to bring Carrie Strange’s ’64 Corvair to the 2013 SEMA Show as an all-female built and owned Feature Vehicle.

For The Love Of The Industry

As a leading lady in the industry, Solomon gets to attend great events like the annual SEMA Show. Here, Solomon is pictured with UFC fighter Josh Barnett, who was at the 2012 event.

Although Solomon is fully immersed in the automotive scene now, it wasn’t until she started her job at Royal Purple that she gained experience and knowledge of the industry or of the Royal Purple brand.

“I really didn’t have any interest in hot rods until I joined Royal Purple,” Solomon told us. But man, that sure changed quickly! Being new to the market and industry, I immersed myself into learning about our consumers and their interests. Every day I’m still learning too. One of my favorite events to attend each year is the Power Tour.”

In case you’re keeping tabs, that’s one more female converted to the gearhead and hot rodding mindset that we all know and love!

A Female In A Male-Dominated Industry

So what’s it like working at one of the industry’s leading companies as a female?

Well, according to Solomon, there are plenty of females that work at Royal Purple, including in customer service, production, receiving, shipping, accounting and even in the lab.

While she has plenty of female coworkers at RP, Solomon still had good advice to give to females looking to enter the still primarily male-dominated automotive industry.

Solomon, pictured here with radio host Bobby Likis at the 2012 SEMA Show, is a vital part of Royal Purple’s marketing and communications team.

“Don’t let being in a male dominated market deter you from pursuing your passion,” she told us. “There are a lot of great female mentors throughout the industry who would be happy to provide insight and guidance.”

Of course, pursuing your passion is much easier when you love what you do from the get-go, which Solomon attributes to the people she gets to deal with every day.

“I talk to and meet so many people – from company CEOs and reps, car builders and celebrity spokespeople, to regular people who are passionate about their vehicles and RP,” Solomon explained. And that’s certainly not a bad way to spend your work day if you ask us!

What The Future Holds

Now fully immersed in the automotive industry, from Royal Purple’s marketing to their female-specific offerings, Solomon looks to continue her success and influence in the industry in the future.

In five years, she’ll have two adult children and a 12-year-old, so her family continues to be an influential part of her life. But she tells us, that no matter where her future leads, she hopes to continue to make a difference wherever she is – something she’s certainly done for Royal Purple, the automotive industry, and all of the female gearheads in the hot rod scene.