Top Women: Stanley Black and Decker’s Maria Ford

HBSDealer’s Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply networking event is slated for Nov. 10-11 in Chicago. Visit HBSDTopWomen.com to join us.

Stanley Black & Decker’s Maria Ford

By Ken Clark

Maria Ford, the president of Stanley Black & Decker’s commercial and industrial division, began her career in the male-dominated tool industry when, on the advice of a Loyola College of Maryland lacrosse teammate, she took on a role as an intern at the company.

On the lacrosse field Ford played an attack position. But at the tool company, she was seen as a keeper. Twenty-three years later, she’s described by one colleague as “an incredible leader,” whose “passion for the industry is evident in every interaction she has with her team and her customers.”

In her current role, Ford manages a $1.4 billion division and leads a team of more than 500 employees. During an interview with HBSDealer, Ford shared some of that passion on the topic of diversity, mentorship and the role of women in the industry. Here’s the edited version of the conversation:

Tell us about Stanley’s diversity mission. The company has changed dramatically in 23 years. And the past five years or so, Stanley Black & Decker has really put some intense effort behind its diversity mission. It’s something that we are very passionate about. And it’s absolutely a core piece of our metrics as we move forward. We are currently working to increase uour female leadership by 40%.

How is diversity changing overall? I feel like there’s been big improvement

Maria Ford rose through the ranks at Stanley Black & Decker. Her advice: “Be real.”

in the industry, and at Stanley Black & Decker. And it was pretty cool for me to see Tara Tansky from our team recognized as a Top Woman, as well. She plays a critical role for us, and she’s our first -ever female, regional vice president. I think we’re making strides. As a female, I think we benefit from seeing other women in these positions — we see that it’s attainable, we say to ourselves, OK, I can do it, too. It’s like the saying: “See her, be her.”

You described Black & Decker’s Pete Morris as a mentor. What was it like working with him? Pete was an executive back during a really interesting, critical time. It was a time when it wasn’t common for women to be in leadership or management positions. But Pete was unique — he had two of us (my boss and myself). He embraced it. And on top of that, he was a phenomenal leader. Without his guidance and his help — even though I’m a strong-willed person — I probably would have left the industry.

You have experience with the Industrial Supply Association Women in Industry Initiative and also the Stanley Global Women’s Network. What do these groups, and others like them, need to do to advance the cause?

I think the biggest thing is this: there’s got to be action. When we participate in these meetings, my best advice is to make sure that there’s good action coming out of them. Let’s make sure that there’s some type of education or training. The idea is for women to leave with core foundational business practices.

Another key is the networking, the ability to bounce ideas off of each other. That is also extremely important. What is your company doing? How is your company handling certain issues? What are they doing differently? These are important questions that can help advance the whole industry, right? If the industry rises, we all rise. It shouldn’t be a solo effort.

Advice to succeed in the hardware and building supply industry? “Be real. Don’t try to be something you are not. Do the little things. And as for succeeding in a male-dominated space: Again, be who you are.”