Kerry McGuigan, Vice President of Finance, Zekelman Industries

Confidence Without Arrogance is Key

KERRY MCGUIGAN

Vice president of finance, Zekelman Industries

For Kerry McGuigan, vice president of finance with Zekelman Industries, being part of an industry that provides tangible goods is in her heritage.

Her grandfather was the key engineer in developing a continuous casting process for non-ferrous metals in the 50s and 60s, her father built continuous casting furnaces and then started his own original equipment manufacturing business, building his own machines and casting metal. Members of her family have worked for the business at various points. “My father worked for my grandfather’s business so manufacturing and the metals industry is in my blood,” McGuigan explains.

Her current position involves overseeing the accounting and forecasting function of the businesses, which include Wheatland Tube, Western Tube, Picoma Industries, and Sharon Tube brands of products. Their products include fence tubing and framework products, mechanical tubing, standard pipe, sprinkler pipe, electrical conduit, electrical fittings, cold drawn over mandrel products all sold to multiple industries across North America. McGuigan is responsible for the normal accounting and budgeting processes along with margin and cost analysis, as well as input, analysis, and guidance on strategic project initiatives and growth opportunities.

McGuigan has been with Zekelman and Wheatland Tube since 1998, starting as a college intern and progressing her way through various finance and business roles. She was named vice president in 2018.

“I enjoy being a partner with the commercial and operations teams. At Zekelman, we are a big group of teammates all striving towards the same goals, which are to provide our customers with outstanding service and a superior quality product,” she explains. “I’m able to not only interact with our internal teammates, but also with our customers, suppliers, and equipment manufacturers. This broad-spectrum interaction has provided me with a wealth of knowledge about our products, how they are made, and how they are used, allowing me to offer insightful information to our sales teams or plant management when evaluating a new opportunity.”

At numerous times, she is the only woman in a meeting or on a site visit, but she’s not found that to be a hinderance. “I feel that in any job in any industry, confidence without arrogance is key. If you are confident in what you know and more importantly, what you do not know, this will come across and your opinions will be valued,” McGuigan explains. “At no point should anyone feel intimidated to ask a question or offer an educated opinion. I have had the pleasure of working with and for tremendous people over the years, and all have been willing to listen to others and not discount or discredit someone’s comments based on what’s on the surface.”

Barry Zekelman, owner and CEO, is passionate about what the company does and that passion is contagious throughout the work force, she explains. “Having a positive attitude and striving to be better because you care will make for a great workplace.”

When Wheatland acquired Western Tube in 2017, McGuigan gained more exposure to the fence industry. She has met with some of the fence customers and spent time touring their businesses to understand what they are looking for in a partnership. “Every time I have the opportunity to visit our customers, I jump at it, because I learn something from everyone I meet and it certainly helps me understand their needs and how we can strive to exceed them.”

Her motivation comes from the passion and enjoyment she gets not only in working for a great company, but in an industry that provides tangible goods. Her family background was a great foundation for her position today.

“The advice I would offer anyone starting their career would be to listen and learn as much as you can, even if it’s not an area directly related to your work tasks,” McGuigan says. “The more knowledge you have, the better you will be at anything you put your mind to. Although my job title and background are in finance, I truly feel that I am a partner to the entire business and that breadth of exposure across our company continues to add value every day.”