COVER FEATURE
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
“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
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.”
20
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.”
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER
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.”
HBSDealer.com
