Cover Story Eileen Mozinski Schmidt
20 years Saluting Women in Material Handling Three leaders with trailblazing careers with the desire to succeed Lisa Reonegro has heard some cringe-worthy lines while on the job. When she began in the material handling business in the late 1980s, she said the discriminatory treatment of women was more common than it is today. “Back then,” she said, “I met with quite a bit of discrimination. I was at times told on the phone, ‘Give me to a man who knows what they’re talking about.’ “I’ve heard it all,” she said. While such treatment was at first a bit shocking and upsetting to Reonegro, it also helped shape her determination to succeed. “All it did, honestly, was to make me push myself that much harder. I wasn’t going to allow myself to not know as much as the next guy,” she said. Today, Reonegro is managing director of Camso Distribution Canada Inc. This month, Material Handling Wholesaler spotlights the careers of women building their careers in the material handling business. In fact, this marks 20 years of spotlighting women who are making a difference in the industry. Meet three trailblazing material handling leaders with the desire to succeed in the material handling industry.
Rebecca Butao Snowdon Rebecca Butao Snowdon is currently national accounts manager for Hannibal Industries Inc. Her team of five is based in California, working on projects nationwide and on one international project in the Bahamas. Hannibal is a pallet rack and steel tube manufacturer and bills itself as the largest U.S. manufacturer of steel pallet rack west of the Mississippi River. When she started in material handling, Butao Snowdon came with a varied background of experience. “I’ve been with Hannibal for two years 4
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October 2020
and in material handling for about six years. I worked for a small distributor originally, a family-owned business,” she said, noting that prior to her work in the industry, she worked as a real estate agent and in dance instruction. Butao Snowdon has a degree in early childhood development and also spent time home with her children when they were young. But as she sought new career opportunities, Butao Snowdon quickly realized that she had a knack for coordination and realized her skill set would translate well to project management in material handling. She worked diligently to make this career advancement happen. Her current role allows her to interact with both the team at Hannibal and directly on the front end with clients, often on-site. Butao Snowdon described how she appreciates the variety of people and projects she works on through her job. “These are quite large-scale projects,” she said. And Butao Snowdon’s role allows her to stay involved throughout the project, something she appreciates as she can utilize her problem-solving skills. She dubs herself “peacemaker and problem solver” and challenges herself to figure out people’s style of communication. But she also believes there is room for improvement in regards to women’s standing in material handling. “I don’t think women in high school or college realize what roles we as women can play in a construction-type industry,” she said. “You can be an engineer, can submit permits, design” and more, she said. “This industry is growing by leaps and bounds.” And as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Butao Snowden predicts more businesses will be expanding their material handling operations to meet the needs of e-commerce. Butao Snowdon also believes there can also be an industry-wide improvement to ensure women are paid equally to their male counterparts. She advises women in the business to know their value on their team and within the operation and encourages asking for opportunities outside of one’s comfort zone.