A rising star strives to make a difference

JAILYNNE JONES, ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE AT METRIE, HITS THE GROUND RUNNING

By Ken Clark

Jailynne Jones took an unusual route into the hardware and building supply industry, where she works today as an account executive for Metrie, North America’s largest supplier of moulding and millwork, in its Sumner, Wash., office.

A graduate of Langston University, an Historically Black College and University in Oklahoma, Jones was working in a Texas rental car agency when Covid-19 hit. She returned to her home state of Washington, posted her resume on Indeed, and got a call the same day. The call came from Metrie, where she’s been for the past two and half years.

In addition to taking a role as moulding ambassador, she’s also playing a role as change agent for diversity.

“I knew coming into my current company that I was going to do more than just do my job and go home,” said Jones, who was recognized among the 2022 class of HBSDealer Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply as a Rising Star in the industry. “I know that there’s a lot more that needs to be done, and especially within my own community.”

Jones has already made concrete contributions to the cause, among them the formation of a black employees resource group.

Jones explained how it all fell into place:

“I was able to reach out to someone who works in the people and culture committee to express how I felt about being the only person of my race in the whole entire establishment that I work at in my facility,” she said. “And they basically told me, ‘Be the change. Be what you would like to see.’ And from that moment on, I just hit the ground running. Started off our first Juneteenth celebration [in 2022]. And that had a really big turn out. I also started a black employee resource group as well for us to come together and find our voice, and just feel welcome, and feel like we belong in any room.”

At Metrie, colleagues explain that she has made a difference already and has proved her worth in the short time that she’s been with the company.

“She has shown tremendous growth in her role, and would often voice want ing more,” said Kayla Johnson, sales operations manager, US West for Metrie. “And as she has been given more, she tackles it head on.”

One example of that head-on approach is the effort that she puts into diversity efforts within the company. A recent meeting of the black employees resource group expanded to include warehouse employees, office employees and employees who work on the frontlines in customer-facing roles.

Bringing all of those roles into one room and sharing experiences opened her eyes.

“With all of those people coming to the meeting, I just got a completely different perspective,” she said. “What [the frontline employees] experience on a daily basis versus what I experience on a daily basis showed to me my own privilege within the company. So, I was able to take a step back and say: there’s a lot of work to be done, not only where I am, but for others as well.”

Above it all, Jones feels grateful for her team that supports her role in the industry and her role as a mother of a young child. She’s also grateful for the somewhat accidental introduction to the hardware and building supply industry — “It fell into my lap at the right time,” she said.

Her advice to others in the industry:

“If you’re able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes when you have the opportunity, you need to do so.”