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 have been in the industry for 10 years. I previously worked in consumer goods for a greeting card company and was ready for my next career move when I applied for a Channel Manager job at Oatey. It was a new role and new industry for me, but I knew I could leverage the skills I had acquired to be successful. I connected with the people on my interview panel immediately and felt like the culture of the company aligned with my values and personality. I was motivated to work hard and build meaningful relationships, and I have felt a strong connection to the industry ever since.

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

There are two skills that I credit my advancement to. The first is that I ask a ton of questions. I ask about everything and I am willing to ask anyone. Asking questions leads to discovery, meaningful dialogue, and allows others to understand how I am thinking and approaching a project or subject. The other is getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Embracing discomfort means each new challenge is less intimidating because I am aware that I do not know it all, but I can learn it. Embracing this approach has allowed me to lean in and grow from experiences instead of shying away from them and raising my hand for opportunities instead of passing on them out of fear.

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

I strongly believe that eCommerce plays a key role in how companies in our industry deliver high-quality products and accurate product information to our customers. This will look different based on an organization’s business objective, but it can’t be ignored. I also believe that data should no longer be viewed as a one-time entry in a system, but as something that requires ongoing attention and management. Data is a foundational building block for growth and should be invested in accordingly. Through my steadfast commitment to learning about eCommerce, how it works in the PHCP-PVF market and overall B2B space, I am now leading our company’s strategic eCommerce initiative. I believe our commitment to a smart eCommerce strategy is an investment in our Distributor partnerships and our end users, and will allow us grow together.

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

Data! The PHCP-PVF industry has an extensive catalog of products spanning a massive range of categories, channels and applications, and every distributor and manufacturer uses different terminology to talk about those products. This makes sharing product information across segments hard. Key product information gets disorganized, updating Excel templates is manual and slow, and integrating into ERP and PIM systems is tedious. Cleaning up data and working towards storing and sharing it based on an industry standard is the foundation that will make selling products easier, internal process smoother, and ensure continued industry growth.