Susan Cafiero, a sales representative for Avalon Honda in Cape May Court House, N.J., received Cox Automotive’s inaugural Breakthrough Leader of the Year Award on Monday.

Cafiero accepted the award at a luncheon during the Women in Automotive Conference in Orlando, Fla. She was selected from nominees who met criteria including being a woman with fewer than five years of automotive experience and one who has made significant and measureable contributions to help advance the automotive industry.

Nominated by her manager, Cafiero was selected based on her stellar performance as a sales representative. After joining Avalon Honda in January 2014, she became one of the leading sales representatives of Avalon and earned the Honda Council of Sales Excellence Silver Award for customer and sales satisfaction. In 2015, she earned recognition as Avalon’s Sales Person of the Year, winning by more than 100 sales, and received the Honda Council of Sales Excellence Gold Award for customer and sales satisfaction.

Cafiero, who previously enjoyed an award-winning career in real estate, joined Avalon Honda after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the real estate office where she worked.

“A home and a car are the two largest purchases consumers make in their lifetimes, so Susan brought the right level of sales and customer service experience and initiative to succeed in the automotive industry,” said Tom Houston, business manager of Avalon Honda.

“Instead of waiting on a customer to walk in the door, she hit the phones to call previous dealership customers and develop a pipeline. Now, in addition to being the sales leader, Susan is the go-to person for technical questions about today’s vehicles,” Houston continued. “Female customers love working with her because she has their best interests at heart. And, she empowers women and men alike with the tools and resources they need to make informed purchasing decisions.”

Cafiero continues to lead the Avalon Honda in sales and satisfaction while staying active in her community and attending sports, school and community functions with her three children.

“Cox Automotive is committed to recognizing leaders like Susan Cafiero, who bring different backgrounds, ideas and perspectives to the automotive industry,” said Jason Brooks, director, Global Diversity and Inclusion, Cox Automotive.

“Susan’s ability to break into the automotive industry through a nontraditional career path is impressive. Susan has successfully transferred her consultative sales approach to cultivate valuable long-term relationships that will pay dividends for years to come. Along with hundreds of like-minded leaders at the Women in Automotive Conference, we are privileged to celebrate Susan’s excellence in customer and sales satisfaction,” Brooks went on to say.

Avalon Honda, part of the Burns-Kull Automotive Group, has been serving south New Jersey since 1970.