Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/698304
July 2016 | Overdrive | 41 women is that she is the total pack- age," says Nowak's boyfriend, Nelson Karakunnel, a software engineer in the Orlando area. "She exudes all the attributes of being loyal, compassionate, intelligent and diligent. With all she has going for her, she still constantly improves herself and never rests on her laurels. I am inspired by the business she has built from her blood, sweat and tears." The road to trucking A self-described tomboy, Nowak grew up in Berlin and loved to tinker with engines. She later developed a yearning to be a trucker, but there were detours along the way. She studied economics and earned a diploma from the EOS Kathe Kollwitz in Berlin between 1984 and 1989. At age 24, she moved to Los Angeles to get away from the German winters and to pursue a movie career. Nowak made her television debut in 1993 in "L.A. Law." She soon began appearing in "Babylon 5" and "JAG," and then worked steadily in the "Star Trek" TV/movie franchise, including the "Star Trek: Voyager" series. "It was so much fun," she recalled of the six-plus years she worked in the industry. While she hated modeling, she loved acting. "I got to wear all kinds of different outfits and makeup. The crew and cast were close, and it was living the dream." But the dream started to fade. While she was sad to leave the movie industry, she was excited about figuring out her next act. "I left on my own terms," Nowak recalls. "I knew after the 'Voyager' job ended, I needed a way to match the money I was making, but with a new career." The old wish to drive a truck still lingered. "It was more of a romantic notion, though," Nowak says. "The thought of the open road, seeing the country and being my own boss all appealed to me." She enrolled in a commercial driver's license school, the only woman in a class of 27 students. Instructors and students frequently asked her, "Are you sure you want to do this?" She was one of only nine who graduated and got their CDL. Only five, including Nowak, stuck with professional driving. After driving for a California-based company, she decided it was time to get her own authority. In 2004, she found- ed BratCat Express and bought a used Freightliner Classic and Utility trailer. Eventually, she grew to five trucks and was doing well. Still, as California's emissions requirements grew more restrictive, she started to look around for a more business-friendly state. Because she loves the water and warm weather, she moved to Jupiter in 2007. By 2009, she reduced her fleet to just one truck and continued her business alone. "It was hard to find the right drivers, and I finally just decided to be a one-woman operation," she says. Nowak keeps a close watch on costs, and grosses more than the average own- In this 2005 photo, Nowak shows more of her edgy look, which still carries over in some of her current dress, including her work boots. Nowak's got a soft spot for abandoned animals and sometimes tries to get them placed for adop- tion. Her beloved pit bull, Skynyrd (center), named after the band Lynyrd Skynyrd because she res- cued him in Alabama, recently died. She still trav- els with two cats, Patty (left) and Schmusi, and Charley (right), her mean-tempered Chihuahua. Some of the best Hollywood credits for Nowak (center, rear) are from her work with "Star Trek." Her roles included standing in for Jeri Ryan during the fourth season through the end of the seven-season "Star Trek: Voyager" series. She also had small roles, including one as a dying crew member in the episode "Scientific Method." Nowak also was a Voyager officer and in a sickbay scene in the movie "Star Trek: Insurrection."