Lessons Learned and Shared

early 1900s as she pioneered the clamp business. (A cocktail described as “the Adele” was served at the reception.)

Prior to the awards ceremony, sponsored by YellaWood, Lindsay Carter, associate general counsel for Great Southern Wood Preserving, said her company is pursuing efforts to elevate women in the hardware and building supply industry.

“Events like this, which are designed to recognize women leading the charge, are an important step forward,” Carter said. “The building segment is growing, and we’re seeing a more intentional stance to recognize and reward talent, particularly women in this category.”

Moments before personally distributing commemorative awards to a

parade of “Rising Stars” and “Business Excellence” award winners, Carter sounded a theme that rang throughout the two-day event: “When more women ascend into organizations of all sizes, more businesses will succeed,” she said.

That concept of building business through diversity was highlighted during the opening remarks from Amy Grant, associate publisher of HBSDealer, host of the event.

“We can’t stress enough that our mission here has two parts,” Grant explained. “Encourage women to enter the industry and, of course, stay in the industry. And to help them find the people or the resources to advance their careers. And we do that not just because it’s the right thing, but also because diversity is great for business, and it’s good for the industry.”

“The building segment is growing, and we’re seeing a more intentional stance to recognize and reward talent, particularly women in this category.”

—Lindsay Carter, Associate General Counsel, Great Southern Wood Preserving

LESSONS LEANRED, AND SHARED

The stories, the advice and the observations were delivered in a rapidfire style during the back-to-back-to back to back panel discussions built into the Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply education day. (Of course, breakfast and a coffee break were included.)

What follows contains a flavor of the event, in the words of the leaders who continue to build successful companies and successful careers.

Michele Burger, Misura Group On making her first call as a recruiter to fill a big position for an LBM company “I introduce myself, and he says to me, “Well honey, how can I help you today?” So I thought to myself, “Okay, I’m not going to hang up. I’m not going to give up. I know exactly what I have to ask. I know exactly what I’m looking for. And I’m going to make it through.”

Wendy Whiteash, US LBM executive VP of culture On successful networking “It’s not just on posting a blog to LinkedIn. You have to meet people, you have to find common connection, you have to seek out people who are really great at the skill or the competency that you’re trying to develop. There are so many great opportunities out there [specifically for women]. But the other side is really we have men in our workplaces that we need to network as well. So not waiting for it to come to you, but going out and seeking that counsel and relationship.”

Sue Kasko, 84 Lumber director or talent development On pandemic-induced recruitment philosophy “I know, for us, it’s pushed us to maybe try some things we’ve never tried before, and thinking about being more flexible. And they might not be revolutionary in the workforce. But even doing things like offering different kinds of bonuses, testing out different work week structures. And trying it in small places and seeing what works with a test-and-learn approach, will give us opportunity to, say, to find those things that will work even in the confines of our industry.” Mai-Tal Kennedy, Building Industry Partners, Center of Excellence, principal consultant On building better companies. “I would say that I think a great workplace is someplace where everyone has a voice and knows that they are going to be able to contribute meaningfully to the goals of the company. So they understand the goals, they understand their role in supporting them, and they have opportunities to inform how to do things even better.”

Sarah Alter, Network of Executive Women, CEO On the changing mindset of corporate leaders. “We all know it, women are not broken, they do not need to be fixed. It’s the corporate culture. It’s the inadequate infrastructure that’s in place. We’ve always heard about DEI and IED (Diversity, equity and inclusion.) But the new acronym now is DEIBA. So it’s diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and accessibility. And trust that that’ll keep growing. But I love the shift. that’s when you’re going to get the top talent, and that’s when you’re going to keep it.”

Jean Niemi, True Value, senior vice president of marketing communications On pursuing power in the business world. “Oftentimes, the fact of the matter is that in today’s world, women still only make about 80% of what men make. How is that possible with all the successes that we have been talking about over these last 24 hours? A lot of the challenge still lays with us, the women and, what we think about ourselves and how we present ourselves.”

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF TONIGHT’S WINNERS.

We recognize that reputation is the toughest thing to build.

Standing out as the best is never easy under any circumstance. Which makes tonight’s accomplishment even more signifi cant. All of us at the YellaWood® brand celebrate the determination and skill that go into building this level of respect. Your achievements and infl uence are an inspiration to our entire organization.

YellaWood® brand pressure treated products are treated with preservatives (the “Preservatives”) and preservative methods, and technologies of unrelated third parties. For details regarding the Preservatives, methods, and technologies used by Great Southern Wood Preserving, Incorporated, see www.yellawood.com/preservative or write us at P.O. Box 610, Abbeville, AL 36310. Ask dealer for warranty details. For warranty or for important handling and other information concerning our products including the appropriate Safety Data Sheet (SDS), please visit us at www.yellawood.com/warranties or write us at P.O. Box 610, Abbeville, AL 36310. YellaWood®, YellaWood Protector® and the yellow tag are federally registered trademarks of Great Southern Wood Preserving, Incorporated. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are used with their permission.

LESSONS LEARNED, AND SHARED

Crystal Arnold, Fortune Brands, finance manager On working-at-home “One of the biggest challenges I feel I had during this COVID experience was that I couldn’t give myself fully to anything all the once. I would be in a meeting, but then I would be tackling my child sitting right beside me throwing a tantrum. It was the feeling I could give only 50 percent. I see some heads nodding. I think support systems are so critical in anything. Whether you are stay at home mom, or you are a working full-time parent, having that support network of people who understand what you’re going through, and you can kick things back and forth with them saying, “Hey, I’m trying to solve X problem, or I’m trying to figure out this.”

Alison Dowell, President and GM, Emery Jensen Distribution On being encouraged to promote herself for advancement early in her career. “I had just gotten to Target Corp. and I was working for a fellow who was a very highly respected director in the sourcing team. And kind of unexpectedly, we get pulled together on a Friday, and he announces to us that he is leaving the company. And it was a shock. Nobody expected this to happen. So we’re all kind of walking back to our desk a little bit dazed, and my phone rings. I pick it up and he was calling me from his car, and he said, ‘Alison, this is what I need you to do. I need you to walk down the hall and go into our vice president’s office and tell him that you are the right person for this job. I think that you can do it. I think he thinks you can do it, but if you don’t say it, you’re not going to get it.’ And that was probably some of the best advice I’ve ever been given.” Lita Abele, New Jersey-based U.S. Lumber Inc., president and CEO. On her journey from immigrant to president. “I learned the business from the ground up. My first job in the company was to answer the phone. So I learn everything that I know now by self-taught. I used my eyes, my ear, and my common sense, how to learn this lumber business. And then I tell myself, “One day, you will know who is Lita Abele.” And that’s what I did.”

Vanessa Pierce, Melaco Sisters Hardware & Supplies, co-owner On serving as an example to community youth for college and blue collar opportunities. “We try to stay involved for the youth of our community. They know that our door is open, If they want to come in. We’ve had people just kind of come and hang out at the store to learn things. We do that just to help young people know that there are multiple options. It really is about working hard and just finding where you fit. I always tell young people: whatever you think you’re going to be doing in five years probably won’t be. But you know what? You have to start somewhere. You have to have a goal to work towards.”

Evionne Silver, Builders FirstSource, VP of Install Business. On seeing her daughter take an internship with a transportation company. “I watched her get ready for her first day of work. And she had her steel toed boots, and she had her safety vest on and she had her hard hat. And I was so proud, because from the time my kids were young, I always had my safety vest with me and my safety glasses with me. I carried them in my bag everywhere I went. And it was really exciting to see her not be afraid to go out there and work hard [in her safety equipment] next to these men.” Sarah Dodd Lowe’s, Senior VP of global merchandising On the virtues of patience in personal career development “I actually had mentors along the way who slowed me down a little bit. I’d say that’s one of the biggest blessings that I’ve had. I was being asked to do all of these different kind of lateral positions around the organization. I was like, when’s it going to be my time? Which, come on, I mean, we all feel like that sometimes. You feel like you’ve put it in, you feel like you’ve done all the roles, and when’s it going to be your turn. What I didn’t realize, and now I do, hindsight’s 2020, is that by doing all of those different positions, when it finally became my turn, and I finally was given the opportunity to be an officer with the organization, that I was so much more prepared for that, and I was able to then elevate and to then speed up my career track.”

Wendy Stine President, Stine Lumber On growing up in a family business run by six brothers. “I grew up under my dad learning hard work. Just because your name was on the front of the building didn’t mean that you get to just hang out and watch. He taught me that you had to be the hardest worker. And then he stepped aside and allowed me to become manager. And then moving on to our corporate office where I got to train with another uncle who was another great mentor for me. He put me into roles that I wouldn’t typically put myself into. They helped me to pursue my education, even though I had already graduated from college, and continued to help me develop.”