As we celebrate Women’s History Month and Women in Construction Week, Supply House Times is shining the spotlight on 10 influential women who are leading the PHCP-PVF industry to great success.

How long have you been in the industry, and how did you get your start?

I’ve been in the PHCP-PVF industry for over 35 years, which officially makes me experienced, not old. I’ve spent my entire career in manufacturing. I started in customer service, answering phones and solving problems, which turned out to be one of the best educations I could have received. When you begin by listening to customers every day, you learn quickly what builds loyalty, what causes frustration, and what truly matters in this business.

From there, I worked my way through sales, marketing, leadership, and national roles, gaining deep insight into how manufacturers support wholesale distribution, reps, and contractors. What kept me here wasn’t just the products. It was the people. This industry rewards those who show up, solve problems, and build trust. If you can have real conversations and keep your word, you can build a lifelong career here.

Today, as Residential Business Manager at Viega North America, I bring that ground-up manufacturing perspective to everything I do, aligning innovation, channel strategy, and field execution so growth is practical and sustainable.

What skill has been most critical to your advancement that people might not expect?

I would say my “superpower” is translation, with precision. Not language translation. I only speak two languages, English and Plumbing. And depending on the day, one of them comes with hand gestures.

What I really do is translate between worlds. I can sit at a table with a contractor, a wholesaler, a rep principal, and members of the Viega team from engineering to finance and make sure everyone walks out aligned on the same objective. That takes more than conversation. It takes clarity.

I believe in plain-language precision. I do not hide behind jargon. If something is complex, whether pricing strategy, channel dynamics, product positioning, margin conversations, or long-term growth, I break it down into clear, usable terms without oversimplifying it. And yes, I will say the thing others are politely avoiding, but I will say it in a way that builds trust rather than tension. Translation builds alignment. Precision builds credibility. A little humor keeps the room human.

Where do you feel you are currently making the greatest impact in your organization or industry?

Right now, my greatest impact is helping connect strategy to reality. It is easy to build great plans in conference rooms. It is harder to make those plans work in a job trailer, in a branch or rep’s office, or on a sales call. At Viega, I spend a lot of time making sure what we say we are going to do actually works in practice.

I focus on practical growth, aligning manufacturers, reps, distributors, and contractors around clear expectations and measurable execution. I care deeply about relationships, but relationships are strongest when everyone understands the scoreboard. I also believe our industry is at a crossroads in terms of long-term thinking, infrastructure, workforce, technology, and sustainability. We have significant opportunities to grow, but we have to grow intelligently to prevent one shiny idea from becoming an expensive lesson.

Where do you see the most opportunity for growth in our industry?

The greatest opportunity for growth lies in several areas working together.

Workforce visibility and diversity. We are still one of the best-kept career opportunity secrets in America. There are more women in this industry than when I started, but it remains male-dominated. My running joke used to be that at industry trade shows there was always a line to the men’s room, which rarely happens at concerts or sporting events. I will know we have truly made progress when there is a line to the women’s room.

That humor aside, expanding our workforce, including bringing more women and underrepresented talent into PHCP-PVF, is not just about equity. It is about strengthening the industry with broader perspectives, new ideas, and long-term sustainability.

Training that sticks. Product knowledge is important, but it is not enough. We also need to teach relationship building, problem resolution, and leadership skills. Leadership is not about being the boss. It is about leading by example, being accountable, and being an ally.

We need to teach people how to collaborate, how to listen, and how to solve problems across channels. Giving someone a seat at the table is important. Giving them a voice and the ability to be heard is transformational. Training that develops both technical competence and human capability is what will move our industry forward.

Cross-channel alignment. Manufacturers, reps, distributors, and contractors succeed faster when expectations, incentives, and communication are aligned. Real collaboration requires real conversation, sometimes direct conversation, but it produces long-term results.

This industry has built America’s infrastructure for generations. With thoughtful growth, expanded opportunity, strong leadership, and true collaboration, it will continue to do so.