4 FEMALE-OWNED AUTO COMPANIES IN 'TOP 50'

Four automotive companies have been named among 'The Top Fifty Women-Owned Businesses' in the United States by Working Woman magazine.

Working Woman's top 50 recognizes women who have gained power and status in corporate America. No absentee owners are listed. To qualify, the women must have controlling interest in their companies and be involved in day-to-day management. Annual sales must be at least $106 million.

Kudos went to:

Irma Elder, president of Troy Motors of Troy, Mich. Elder owns 100 percent of the $381 million, four-store business that sells Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jeep, Eagle, Aston Martin Lagonda, Jaguar and Saab.

To serve a strong used-car market, Elder opened a Select Edition used-car store last year. It specializes in Jaguar sales and service. The business was founded in 1967 by her late husband, James, as a single Ford dealership.

Gail Duncan-Campagne, president of Jerome-Duncan Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich. Duncan-Campagne owns 51 percent of the $131 million dealership she runs with her father, Dick Duncan. The dealership is undergoing a $4 million expansion and redesign to compete with its new neighbor, an AutoNation USA used-car superstore.

Jane O'Dell, co-owner of Westfall-O'Dell Transportation Services of Kansas City, Mo. O'Dell and her husband, Ervin, own half of the $350 million business.

In 1996, their Westfall-GMC Truck dealership, based in Kansas City, Mo., was second in the United States in sales of medium-duty trucks. It also was in the top 50 nationwide for sales of all GMC light- and medium-duty trucks and in the top 20 for light-duty fleet sales.

The company's holdings include four Freightliner franchises, a Volvo Truck franchise and a car dealership - Westfall-O'Dell Motors Inc. (Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Cadillac) of Excelsior Springs, Mo.

Pamela Aguirre, chairwoman of Mexican Industries Inc. of Detroit. Aguirre owns more than 20 percent of the $158 million automotive parts business her late father, Hank Aguirre, founded in 1979.

Mexican Industries supplies armrests, floor mats and carpeted door panels for the Big 3 and others. It also ships airbags to safety systems suppliers.

The list, which is published annually, appeared in the October issue of Working Woman.