9 minute read
Kerry Siggins, Professional
Professional SOUTHWEST COLORADO WOMEN IN BUSINESS
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StoneAge Inc. CEO
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Colorado School of Mines
Kerry
SIGGINS
I
The Human Engineer
STONEAGE CEO LEADS PEOPLE TO PERSONAL SUCCESS
t’s a dirty world, and there is always something to clean, said StoneAge CEO Kerry Siggins. She guides the local manufacturing company that is leading the world in automated industrial water blast equipment and technology. The business serves customers around the world, customizing equipment to offer safer solutions for jobs that require industrial cleaning tools.
“I don’t know that anybody gets into high pressure water jetting and industrial cleaning on purpose,” Siggins said. “I certainly didn’t. When I moved to Durango 13 years ago, I asked, ‘How can I find a great job in Durango that uses my talents and skills?’ StoneAge fit the bill.”
As a student, Siggins was quick to learn and excelled in subjects like math and science. Her high school math teacher encouraged her to pursue a career in engineering. Anxious to leave Montrose, she earned a softball scholarship to Colorado School of Mines.
“Mines provided me with a great education but I was a bit lost once I graduated,” Siggins said. “I knew I didn’t want to be an engineer, and I wanted to live somewhere warm, so I packed up my belongings and moved to Texas.” In 2002, Siggins moved to Austin to bask in the sunshine but eventually, city life and the unrelenting heat wore her down. After five years in Austin, she moved in with her mother in Durango. “At that time, I was living an uninspiring life,” she said. “I had no plan and no money. I was 28 years old and living with my mom. This was not the vision I had for myself, so it was a pretty hard time in my life. I was seriously in debt, so I didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
Siggins saw an ad in the newspaper for a job at StoneAge. Though she felt underqualified, she applied for the general manager position as an opportunity to put her foot in the door, even if she didn’t receive the position, she said. In January 2007, the founders offered her the job under the title of operations manager.
“Our founders, John Wolgamott and Jerry Zink, took a risk by handing me the reigns at such an early age. They were fundamental in my growth as a manager and leader,” Siggins said. “They gave me leeway to make decisions and make mistakes. I look back, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity they gave me.” Siggins’ responsibilities included overseeing engineering, purchasing, production control work and customer service. “I spent a lot of time getting to know my employees at StoneAge, helping them align their roles with their talents and strengths,” Siggins said. “I found I had a knack for getting people into the right seats on the bus, so to speak. Because of this, some of my employees started calling me a ‘human engineer.’ I love finding ways to help people be their very best.”
Siggins was promoted from operations manager to general manager in summer 2008. In November 2009, she was promoted to CEO at age 31. Even 10 years later, Siggins still takes a hands-on approach in her current role by providing feedback for employee presentations, mentoring staff members and interacting with customers.
Siggins likes the complex nature of working for a manufacturing company. She also sits on the board of the Waterjet Technology Association, and has been working to create global standards for industrial cleaning through a grassroots movement by forming partnerships with industry professionals to create the Global Industrial Cleaning Coalition. “There’s no one way, anywhere around the world, to do this work,” Siggins said. “Through GICC, we are creating baseline safety principles that safety associations can adopt all around the world. The purpose is to save lives and reduce injuries.”
In addition to working on this industry initiative, Siggins is involved in her local community. She is on the board of E.P.I.C. Conscious Living Magazine and is a member of the Business Advisory Committee at Fort Lewis College. “I love mentoring and helping people think about business in a different way,” Siggins said. “I like to pull from my experience and learn from their experience to help develop strategies and find solutions.” l “We have a lot of exciting opportunities in front of us. It’s about picking the right ones and saying no to the right ones. I think our future is incredibly bright.”
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The Professional Women’s Network of Durango celebrates women and the accomplishments of women. Through storytelling, we make a stand for women’s voices to be heard and to reflect on the progress women have made in the world throughout history, honoring the courageous steps women have taken to create positive change in the world and talk about the changes that still need to be made.
DEFINED BY HARD WORK, HONESTY AND DEDICATION.
Gillian Arnwine
Gillian Arnwine Broker Associate The Wells Group (970) 749-3704 gillian@wellsgroupdurango.com
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.
FZA’s Management Team: Sidny Zink, CPA; Charles Fredrick, CPA, CGMA; Michelle Sainio, CPA, CGMA; and John Lopez, CPA, CGMA. FZA’s Management Team: Sidny Zink, CPA; Charles Fredrick, CPA, CGMA; Michelle Sainio, CPA, CGMA; and John Lopez, CPA, CGMA.
— Robert Orben, Comedy Writer If You Can Laugh Together…You Can Work Together.” “
— Robert Orben, Comedy Writer
What do comedy and accounting have in common? People. Men, Women, Young, Old(er). None of us does it alone. You can be a great comedian, but if no one is there to laugh are you funny? Each of our FZA team members has individual strengths and personalities. And we know we can only instill Confidence in our clients, help everyone Perform at the highest level, and be Accountable to each other only if we have each other. So in this premier issue of Women in Business, FZA salutes the women of FZA and those in this amazing business community, and also the teams of people who make doing business in this great place just plain fun! What do comedy and accounting have in common? People. Men, Women, Young, Old(er). None of us does it alone. You can be a great comedian, but if no one is there to laugh are you funny? Each of our FZA team members has individual strengths and personalities. And we know we can only instill Confidence in our clients, help everyone Perform at the highest level, and be Accountable to each other only if we have each other. So in this premier issue of Women in Business , FZA salutes the women of FZA and those in this amazing business community, and also the teams of people who make doing business in this great place just plain fun!
Local Focus
NONPROFIT DIRECTOR STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY AND COMMERCE
ork ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit are the keys to making things happen in the nonprofit sector, said Monique DiGiorgio, executive director of Local First Foundation and coowner of Table to Farm Compost. She is also an environmentalist and outdoor recreationist, which brought her west from Wyckoff, New Jersey. “I’m an outdoor and nature enthusiast,” DiGiorgio said. “I’ve been doing environmental work since I was 16, and I really wanted to move out West. When I came to Durango in 1997, I knew this place was awesome. I definitely got that sense, like many people do, ‘This place is special.’”
Before her gig with Local First Foundation, DiGiorgio enjoyed a mixture of environmental and nonprofit work. She was a biological field technician on conservation projects for University of Maryland, Dartmouth College, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service for seven years. Then she led an organization called Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project, which focused on safety for wildlife and people on road.
As a conservation strategist for Western Environmental Law Center, she developed conservation programs for the law firm. DiGiorgio also managed a variety of projects for Future West, a nonprofit dedicated to collaborative conservation and local economies. In 2010, she founded Chama Peak Land Alliance, and spent seven years developing programs to promote responsible land, water and wildlife stewardship.
Each experience allowed DiGiorgio an opportunity to affect change. But to do so on a larger scale, she looked to Local First, a 501c(6), membership-based organization. There was an open position for a managing director. “I thought it would be an interesting fit for me and give me an opportunity to reach outside the conservation field into the economic development world, specifically supporting local, independent businesses,” DiGiorgio said. “People thought that Local First had a tremendous amount of potential. I had no idea how much fun it would be.” Nine board members placed several objectives on the new managing director, including increasing business engagement and growing the organization. DiGiorgio strengthened several ongoing initiatives, such as the Be Local Coupon Book and Noel Night. She collaborated with other local business owners and leaders of other business organizations, such as Durango Chamber of Commerce, Business Improvement District and Durango Area Tourism Office.
“One of my strengths, I think, is just being able to take a vision that the community has and make it happen,” she said.
DiGiorgio helped establish the Durango Creative District, form the Southwest Health Alliance and convinced the city of Durango to adopt goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support renewable energy. In 2019, the board of directors created Local First Foundation, a community-based 501c(3) nonprofit organization, and promoted DiGiorgio to executive director. She said the purpose of forming the foundation was to broaden the public mission around local self-reliance, building an economy that values people, the planet and prosperity for everyone.
“The foundation allows us to build out what it means as an individual to take part in supporting your community,” DiGiorgio said. “The Local First mission is really aligned with my value system, so it doesn’t feel like a job. It’s super inspiring and motivating because anytime I succeed in my work, the impacts are beyond myself or Local First.” DiGiorgio said there are so many good causes in Durango, and the biggest challenge for Local First Foundation is growing its initiatives and educating community members about the importance of local self-reliance. It takes a remarkable work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit to succeed in the nonprofit sector, and DiGiorgio is brimming with both. l “There’s a lot of good work that needs to happen out there, so I think the challenge is getting people to listen and pay attention.” W
Monique
DiGIORGIO
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Local First Foundation Executive Director
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University of Notre Dame
