Women in Business 2019

SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2019 | 1

Women in

Business Sunday, June 30, 2019

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS

SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

Factors to consider before pursuing an advanced degree Advanced degrees have long been associated with better career prospects and higher earnings.

Women seem to be especially aware of that, as the Council of Graduate Schools/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees noted that, in the fall of 2017, the majority of first-time graduate students at all levels were women. Among master’s degree candidate’s that fall, 59 percent were female, while 53.5 percent of doctoral candidates were women.

The decision to pursue an advanced degree requires careful consideration. Such a pursuit requires a considerable investment of time and money, and while those are two important factors to consider before making a decision, they’re not the only things women must think of as they try to make the best decision.

Timing Timing and time are two different things.

While many people considering graduate degrees

think about how much time they’ll need to complete their degrees, timing also merits consideration.

Newly minted graduates may want to take a break after expending so much effort to earn their undergraduate degrees. Taking time between degrees can provide the opportunity to recharge, and it also can give young graduates a chance to get some professional experience. That experience can inform their future grad school decision, perhaps reassuring them they’re on the right career path or compelling them to pursue other avenues. But enrolling right after completing your undergraduate studies can be beneficial as well. That’s especially so for recent grads who hope to start a family soon after graduation. The longer you delay enrolling in a graduate program, the longer you may delay starting a family, which can have a lasting impact.

Career prospects While it’s easy to assume an advanced

degree will greatly enhance your career prospects and increase your earning potential, it’s not necessarily that simple.

When considering the pursuit of an advanced degree, try to determine if you’ll be in the workforce long enough to benefit from the increased earnings. Women who are mid- to late-career might not benefit considerably or at all from the extra earnings if they’re paying for their advanced degrees themselves, as the cost of tuition and other fees might be higher than the extra earnings. In addition, some advanced degrees won’t necessarily lead to considerably higher salaries than you’re likely to earn with a bachelor’s degree.

That will depend on your profession.

Time The time required to pursue an advanced degree merits strong consideration. Many students pursuing a master’s degree full-time can earn their degrees in two

years, while those who attend part-time will need more time to complete their degree programs.

Doctoral programs take considerably longer.

Cost The cost of an advanced

degree varies widely depending on the program. Some programs may cost $20,000 or less, while others will cost more than $100,000.

Many doctoral candidates receive financial aid from their schools or lenders,

but the cost of a doctoral degree is still considerable, especially when considering the potential lost earnings during the years while the degree is being pursued.

—Metro Creative

Some majors can lead to higher earnings Choosing a college major is an important decision that many students delay making until their sophomore or even junior years. Only after taking a few courses and uncovering one’s interests do some college students figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Each student is different, and while some may pursue a degree based on

a particular passion, others may choose majors that can lead to high-paying jobs.

While men often lean toward majors like engineering and computer science that have traditionally been linked to high earnings, women have historically gravitated to lower-paying specialties like education and social sciences. But in recent years

a shift has occurred, and more women have begun to choose majors associated with higher postgraduate salaries.

Reports from the career guidance site Glassdoor analyzed how much male and female professionals with the same college degree earned and identified many instances in which women went on to earn more than men in

the first five years of their career. They’ve identified several majors where female college graduates can earn as much or more than their male counterparts and find successful careers.

4Architecture 4Pharmaceutical sciences 4Information sciences 4Chemical engineering 4Computer science

4Electrical engineering 4Mechanical engineering 4Computer engineering 4Business economics 4Civil engineering 4Sports management Despite these findings, the college resource CollegeFactual and the U.S. Department of Education says that women remain likely to pursue education, design

and applied arts, health services, and social work as career options.

Female students unsure of which major they want to pursue can take career assessments to help narrow down their options.

Working with mentors or engaging in internships also can present a firsthand idea of high-paying career paths.

—Metro Creative

SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

BY ALEX PERRY STAFF WRITER

Gwaltney Dental has been treating the people of Suffolk for more than 30 years, first when the practice began on North Main Street in 1983, and then when it relocated to Pruden Boulevard.

This practice also understands the importance of women in business. The majority of the office’s dozen or so staff members are women, including one of the doctors.

According to Practice Administrator Christie Harrell, their team is committed to fostering professional relationships in the Suffolk community.

“Gwaltney Dental has been in Suffolk for 36 years,” Harrell wrote in

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

All smiles at Gwaltney Dental an email. “We have built relationships with local banks, credit unions and local medical facilities, including specialists in the dental related field.

We believe supporting local business within the community is very important.”

Doctors and staff at Gwaltney Dental use the latest technology to detect problems earlier than they would have otherwise to better serve their patients.

They pride themselves on providing quality dental care that can help patients prevent diseases, along with patient education and a comprehensive hygiene program, Harrell wrote.

“The focus of the practice will always be to prevent disease, and to treat when necessary. Our

cutting-edge dental technology means a shorter recovery time after procedures,” she wrote. “We treat our patients and their smile to the very best in dental care.”

There are plenty of smiles in the office, as days at Gwaltney Dental are filled with laughter.

The team is personable and engaged in making each patient’s experience as fun as possible, Harrell wrote, and it doesn’t hurt that the doctors have great senses of humor.

Dr. Steve Gwaltney has been practicing since 1983 after receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Virginia

Dental Association and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

His son, Dr. J. Ryland Gwaltney, earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and also is a member of the American Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Association and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

Dr. Whitney A. Gwaltney, the practice’s female dentist, joined the Gwaltney family practice in 2015 after marrying Ryland. She graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University and obtained her doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a

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ALEX PERRY/SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

Scheduling coordinators Heather Nichole Lynch and Heather Dawn Lassiter, both of whom go by their first and middle names at Gwaltney Dental, since they have the same first name and last initial.

member of the American Dental Association and the Virginia Dental Association.

“We have a happy, engaged workforce that feels like family,” Harrell wrote. “We have team members that mesh well

and work hard while having fun.”

Gwaltney Dental is located at 2486 Pruden Blvd. and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Email them at info@gwaltneydental.com.

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Parker Oil & Propane keeps things running

BY RACHEL WARTIAN INTERN

The women at Parker Oil & Propane have been in the oil business for years and continue to grow with the company.

Most of the employees have transferred over to Parker Oil & Propane from different fuel companies that got bought out by them or another company.

In a field that might be thought of as predominantly male, women have a huge part in keeping this business running. Many of the women have been in the fuel business for more than 25 years.

The office manager, Cathy Parker, has been with Parker Oil for 27 years. She answers the phone as well as takes

care of concerns around the office.

When it comes to working at Parker Oil & Propane, Parker loves her co-workers and her job.

“It would be a lousy life if you just came to work, made money, and went home. You have to love what you do and get to know your co-workers as well as your customers.”

Parker feels no need to look over everyone’s shoulder to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do. This is reflected in the impressions of other employees.

Kim Bir, who works customer service, has been in the oil business since her start at Century Service in 1983. “It is nice to have a job where I don’t have anyone looking over

my shoulder,” she said.

Joanie Hobbs, the credit manager who has been in the business for 30 years, feels the same. “I could retire, but I love what I do and who I work with,” she said. “It keeps me young.”

There is a comfortable and open atmosphere in the office that is appreciated by all in the office.

According to Parker, she feels valued at Parker Oil & Propane. She feels that the company wants her and her co-workers to be there. It is the small pat on the back and the appreciation that makes the women feel at home and valued as an employee.

Oil and fuel may be thought of as a man’s field, but the women at Parker Oil & Propane feel differently about this stereo-

type. These women feel that their jobs do not rely on gender. If a woman has a passion and enjoys the field, then she should be able to pursue it.

“No field is just one gender; it just depends on what she wants to do,” said Hobbs.

Rebecca Bishop, who runs the fuel freedom division, said that having women in the fuel field keeps things balanced as well as provides them with new opportunities.

Parker wants to set an example for her children and grandchildren. “There is not a lot of women in fuel. I believe that it is important for women to be in every field. I want my grandchildren to feel like they can be in whatever field they want to be in.”

RACHEL WARTIAN/SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

Rebecca Bishop, Joanie Hobbs, Cathy Parker, Marie Taylor and Kim Bir have been working at Parker Oil & Propane for many years. They credit their tenure to feeling valued by the company and enjoying working with customers and co-workers.

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Family atmosphere for these women

BY JIMMY LAROUE STAFF WRITER

The women who play key roles in the operations of John C. Holland Enterprises Inc. and Hampton Roads Disposal use the word family liberally when talking about each other and their customers.

That family environment starts with owner Rhonda Holland, and is enhanced with the other women that work there — landfill manager Emily Hengel, weigh house master Wanda Hopper, Susan Schmitt in the office, office manager JoAnn Nesson and Susan Outlaw, who handles the finances.

Go around the grounds

of the 70-acre facility at 4801 Nansemond Parkway and that’s the word you’ll hear as often as any as workers describe the work culture and the people.

Hopper, who works in the weigh house and has been there for about seven years, said she sees many regulars who come through looking to dispose of construction and demolition debris. When customers come up on the ramp with their loads, she gets to know them and treats them like family.

“Rhonda’s really the rock here,” Hopper said.

“I love my job. I love the customers. Everyone is family.”

When Holland’s husband, John Holland Jr.,

died in December 2011, Hopper said, Rhonda Holland was thrown into the work but has handled it with aplomb.

“It’s like a family, and a lot of that is because of her,” Hopper said. “She’s a good boss. She gets stuck doing a lot of stuff that nobody can help her with.”

Hengel, who has worked at Holland Enterprises and HRD for about two years and was originally hired to clean shingles after a long career as a waitress, does many tasks, including fueling equipment, getting generators, fixing fences, delivering parts and tools — whatever it takes to get things done.

While Hengel likes her work and the fam-

ily of workers with her, she likes the ability to have some solitude with her work.

“To me, it’s freedom,” Hengel said. “You just feel more free. You don’t have someone on your back constantly.”

Outlaw, Hengel’s sister, has worked at Holland Enterprises since 2014 after having worked in the banking industry.

“I love this,” Outlaw said. “I was a manager at a bank, and it was so challenging and so stressful. But this is so relaxing. I still have interaction with the customers, which I love, but this is the job.”

Outlaw said she is proud to work for a place where women play key roles in the operations.

JIMMY LAROUE/SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

Emily Hengel does a variety of tasks as the landfill manager for John C. Holland Enterprises Inc. and Hampton Roads Disposal. Those include fueling equipment, getting generators, fixing fences, delivering parts and tools and anything else to get things done.

“I don’t think that many people realize that there are many women that run and own businesses,”

Outlaw said. “And are actually hands-on, not just sitting back having somebody (else) do it.”

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How to approach returning to work after maternity leave

Working mothers are no longer an anomaly.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, seven in 10 women with children under the age of 18 years were in the American labor force in 2015, the most recent year for which statistics were available.

Though it might be considered the new normal for mothers with young children to work, that does not make it any easier for women to manage having a career and being a mom.

That’s especially true for first-time mothers returning to work at the end of maternity leave.

Returning to work after maternity leave can produce mixed emotions.

Mothers who have thriving careers may be excited to get back to work while simultaneously feeling sadness or even guilt at the prospect of leaving

their infants at home with a spouse or nanny or at a daycare facility. Such mixed emotions are normal, and women should discuss their feelings with their spouses and loved ones if they are experiencing difficulty processing them.

How smoothly women transition to work after maternity leave may depend on how well they plan ahead. The following are some ways women can make returning to work after giving birth go smoothly.

4Negotiate your return to work. The length of maternity leave depends on a host of factors, including company policy. In advance of giving birth, women can attempt to negotiate their postmaternity leave return to work. If you had initially intended to take three

months’ leave, speak with your boss about returning part-time after two months or request to work remotely one or two days per week upon your return.

This gives you a chance to ease back into work and your child a chance to adjust to spending time with others. Many companies may be flexible with their maternity leave policies, but women will only know if they ask.

4Devise a daily schedule before returning to work. Mothers who plan to continue breastfeeding even after they return to work will have to carve out time each day to pump. Pumping can be time-consuming, and working mothers should speak with their bosses to explain their desire to pump during the workday.

Employers cannot tell women they can’t pump

during the workday, but many women unfairly feel pressured to spend as little time as possible pumping.

Laying out a daily schedule that includes when you plan to pump during work hours and sharing it with your boss before you return to work may help reduce that pressure and, therefore, making the transition back to work easier.

4Lighten your load.

Balancing work and family is a tall order for anyone, but especially for mothers who just gave birth. Delegate more at the office upon returning to work, and take that spirit of sharing home, too. Make sure cooking and cleaning duties are shared, and don’t hesitate to order takeout more frequently until you adjust to being a working parent.

—Metro Creative

Some benefits of longer maternity leave Today’s working mothers face an incredibly difficult decision after giving birth. How soon to return to work after having a child is a decision new mothers grapple with every day. While a host of factors must be considered before women can make their decision, research shows that longer maternity leave benefits mother and child in a variety of ways.

Paid maternity leave

is not guaranteed in the United States, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development notes that the United States is the only country in the developed world that does not mandate paid leave for new mothers.

The financial component merits strong consideration for mothers trying to figure how long their maternity leave should be. But new mothers know that there

are other factors to consider as well. The following are some benefits to lengthier maternity leaves that mothers may not know about.

4Maternity leave, partial breastfeeding and its effects on SIDS risk: Researchers at the University of Auckland recently determined that even partial breastfeeding in the first two to four months of a child’s life reduces the child’s risk for Sudden Infant

Death Syndrome, or SIDS, by roughly 40 percent. Many working mothers experience difficulty breastfeeding their children after they’ve returned to work.

Trouble pumping at the office and the resulting effects on breastmilk supply can contribute to this.

Mothers who take longer maternity leaves can breastfeed on demand, while others may find it easier to pump at home while their child is sleep-

ing than they would in an office setting.

4Maternity leave and children’s health: A recent study from researchers at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research in Australia found that children can reap the benefits of their parents’ paid parental leave for at least seven years. The study, released in 2015, found that children whose parents were able to care for them with the support of

paid leave during infancy had a reduced risk of developing asthma and hearing and vision problems.

4Maternity leave and postpartum depression: A 2013 study published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law found that women who return to work sooner than six months after giving birth had an increased risk of postpartum depressive symptoms.

—Metro Creative

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SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2019 | 7

Nancy’s keeps pets in style

BY TRACY AGNEW EDITOR

Nancy Bird has a lot of people — and pets — in her family.

In addition to her husband, four biological children, 15 foster children over the years and one cat, she has an extensive list of clients — both people and pets — who have become like family.

Nancy’s Animal Outfitters is a business off the beaten path in Chuckatuck, located at 5969 Godwin Blvd. tucked behind some other businesses. Bird has been in business in this area since 1989, but she got her start in high school while going to dog shows with her parents.

Fascinated by what they were doing, she started talking to groomers at the dog shows and eventually was allowed to travel on summer weekends with renowned terrier handler Ric Chashoudian when she was still just a teenager.

She went off to college and earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science.

Along the way, she met some friends who showed cats and learned about cat grooming from them.

After college, she started grooming at a vet clinic and stayed in the dog show business for a while. But it kept her on the road, and she finally decided she had to leave when one of her daughters called her crying, afraid her mother wouldn’t be home for

Thanksgiving.

That’s when she decided to go in business for herself. It gave her more flexibility while raising four children, she said.

“Groomers are a funny lot of people,” she said.

“We work our own hours.

We really don’t care for corporate America.”

She had a couple of locations in Smithfield before moving to a spot on Route 17 and later to Godwin Boulevard.

All of Bird’s children have worked at the business at one time or another. Two of her daughters, Jennifer Goforth and Sarah Crowder, currently work with her. Bird said she hasn’t given much thought to the fact her business is owned by a woman and run

by women.

“I didn’t get denied loans or anything else I needed to have,” she said. “It has more to do with attitude.

My parents always told me there wasn’t anything I couldn’t do, so I tended to believe that.”

Bird has a steady stream of clients with all breeds of dogs and cats, and she appreciates every one of them.

“Working with these pets is a privilege,” she said.

“My clients are more than clients. They’ve been part of the family, some of them for years. They’ve put a roof over my head. They sent my kids to college, the ones that wanted to go, and sent the others to trade and technical schools.

“They’ve done wonders

TRACY AGNEW/SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD

Nancy Bird grooms a dog at her shop on Godwin Boulevard. She first got into the business by going to dog shows and watching groomers.

for me, so they’re more than clients — they’ve become part of the family.”

Nancy’s Animal Outfitters can be reached at 377-5629.

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Let us help you remember your vacation.Take a copy of Suffolk Living with you on your road trips and vacations. Snap some photos and email them to us.

Maybe they’ll be in the next issue. It’ll be a much better way to show off your photos than showing slides.

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