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Courtney
Caldwell, Biography
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine
An
avid auto and travel enthusiast determined to give a voice to the women’s
market, Courtney Caldwell was fueled with passion to make a difference. She created
the first national magazine to specialize in auto, travel and safety-related issues
for women. Launched in 1989 as a print magazine, ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine raced
to the Internet in 2000 with Caldwell as the driving force. Caldwell’s
love for cars emerged first in the 60’s during the muscle car era. "I
was 14 when the Mustang and GTO hit the streets. It was mesmerizing; the roar
of the engine, the power and speed, the cool styling... so I badgered a local
mechanic for weeks to teach me to drive his ‘65 4-speed GTO. I think he finally
gave in just to get rid of me. I was hooked!" says Caldwell. Living
in total anonymity in Warwick, RI, the single mother of two realized that owning
a muscle car was not practical so instead Caldwell bought a new '79 Chevy van,
which she had customized for camping with her kids. It not only accommodated her
active lifestyle, it also led to Caldwell's first company, VANity Fare, a limousine
service designed to chauffeur groups to sporting events. “While
working two jobs to support my children, the van became our home away from home.
It gave me a sense of freedom. People laughed and said it was too big for a woman
to drive. My reply was ‘all I have to do is drive the damn thing, not carry
it,’ laughs Caldwell. "I could park that thing on a dime," she
adds. Caldwell
always felt something bigger awaited her beyond Rhode Island so in 1981 she sold
her home of 11 years, packed up her son Jason, then 12, and Shannon, 11, and moved
to California. “We camped out under the stars in 16 states across the country.
My son gathered wood, my daughter filled water containers and I cooked over an
open fire. It was our first trip out of RI and one of the most memorable experiences
we’ve ever had as a family,” Caldwell says. It
was that journey that piqued her interest for women traveling alone. “I ran
into so many people who were shocked that I was traveling alone, especially with
two kids. There was such little awareness of the independence gained by women
in America.” Once
in California, Caldwell combined her Taekwondo black belt training and daredevil
driving skills acquired on the back roads of RI to become a stuntwoman. “My
specialties were spinning cars, riding motorcycles, and fight scenes. I worked
with people like Sam Elliott, Goldie Hawn, and Kurt Russell.” However, stunt
work for women was still scarce in the '80s and Caldwell had two teens with medical
problems to support. An experienced accountant, she worked between gigs as a controller
for Pierre Cardin, and as a personal assistant to singer Peggy Lee. As
a single parent who made all her own financial decisions, Caldwell grew angry
at the disrespectful treatment she and other women received at dealerships, so
she formed a national organization to help raise awareness of the importance and
power of women consumers. Through
the organization, Caldwell created and produced the "Cruise-Aid for Diabetes",
a celebrity-packed 50-mile motorcycle cruise that ended in an outdoor event, raising
several hundred thousand dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Association, making
it one of the largest outdoor fundraising events in L.A. at that time. Recognized
for her success in event production and media, Caldwell was enlisted by the motorcycle
industry to produce and lead the Van Buren TransCon in 1988, a national publicity
tour designed to enhance the image of motorcycling. She produced a 5-city, 4000-mile
publicity tour, reaching out to grass-root Americans, and serving as a national
spokesperson for American women. Caldwell became the first woman to earn the Motorcycle
Industry Council's highest public relations award, the MIC Key Award, and is one
of only a handful of women worldwide to be honored by the National Motorcycle
Hall of Fame in Ohio for her public relations efforts. Inspired
by the overwhelming demand to improve the quality of treatment to women, Caldwell
launched ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine upon her return, the first publication to
provide content from which women could make informed and intelligent decisions
on auto-motive, travel and safety issues. The
premier issue launched in January ‘89 but not without challenges. Two weeks
before the launch Caldwell broke her back and 7 ribs in a motorcycle accident,
an accident in which doctors claimed few survived. Undeterred, Caldwell's 21-year
old son carried his broken mother on board a Continental flight two weeks later,
propping her up with pillows to support her willowy spine and bruised body, to
fly to Washington, DC, where she handed out RTM’s first issue one at at time
from a booth at an auto show. Declaring
Caldwell’s vision of the burgeoning women’s market “before its
time”, marketers refused to advertise for the first few years. Convinced
the market was viable and growing Caldwell sold her ten-year old custom Chevy
Van for $5000 and used the insurance money from the accident to support the magazine
until automakers caught on that the women’s market was a growing body of
consumers to be reckoned with. Today, they all get it. In
spite of naysayers, two wars, two recessions, a dotcom crash, 9/11 and SARS, RTM
has not only survived but has prospered and grown. In 1997, Caldwell launched
the International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY), which has become the largest
auto awards show in the industry and coined the Academy Awards of Cars by industry
leaders. She also serves as a spokesperson for a variety of companies each year
making dozens of media appearances. In
additional to being the executive producer and host of ICOTY, this feisty grandmother
of two teenage grandsons also produces an annual Lifetime Achievement Award to
honor a veteran automotive journalist, the annual HEART STRING AWARD to honor
an automaker and its agency with the most emotionally compelling car commercial
of the year, and in 2008 introduced the inaugural EARTH ANGEL AWARD to honor the
most environmentally friendly automaker. And according to Caldwell, 'there's more
on the way." Caldwell’s
unwavering commitment to the women’s market has led to numerous television
appearances and speaking engagements, which include CBS's The Early Show, The
Today Show, World News Tonight, Good Morning America, CNN, NBC News, The Learning
Channel, and Lifetime. Today, Caldwell’s expanding role as a national consumer
advocate and spokesperson has positioned her as a leading authority in the women's
auto and travel markets. Now
that both the auto and travel industries market to women, and are supporting women’s
initiatives, Caldwell has moved onto the next step... broadcast. In August 2003,
CNNfn enlisted Caldwell as a monthly automotive reporter on The FlipSide. Additionally,
CBS Detroit televises the ICOTY Awards each year as a TV special on which Caldwell
serves as executive producer. With
women making up more than 50% of all new car sales, ($83 billion market) 40% of
all business travelers ($55 billion market), 38% of all U.S. business owners who
contribute $3.6 trillion to the national economy, and consisting of 97 million
online users and growing, it’s no surprise that Caldwell uses ROAD &
TRAVEL Magazine, her frequent TV appearances, and annual ICOTY Awards event as
mediums in which to strengthen, communicate, and bridge the gap between both industries
and female consumers. From
total obscurity as a single parent in Rhode Island to a national consumer advocate
and leader in her industry, Courtney Caldwell knows no limitations. She is committed
to helping an industry improve and nurture their existing relationships and is
dedicated to educating, inspiring and empowering women through her belief that
nothing is impossible. |
