Episode Transcript
Hello, my friends. This is Brett Keasling of the EO podcast network and host of the Aesop podcast. We recently completed season two of the owner to owner podcast. With host, Jesse Tyler. And we can't wait to bring you season three beginning in September, 2023. While Jesse and team recharged their podcast batteries. We're bringing you a great five-part series from season one, called women in manufacturing. Featuring conversations between Jesse and amazing colleagues at Hypertherm. I hope you enjoy. Welcome to the owner, to owner podcast with your host, Jesse Tyler, part of the EO podcast network. Welcome to the owner to owner podcast. It's great to have you here with us again, listening. We appreciate the followers. I'm Jesse Tyler. I work at Hypotherm a global manufacturing technology company that is almost 2000 owners strong. I'm fascinated by ownership, culture and how being an owner impacts the daily experience at work and the career experience. The goal of this podcast is to have owner to owner discussions about a range of ownership, experience, and culture topics to bring more insight into the individual experience. There's a lot of, we there's a lot of us, there's a lot of team references use. Laurie ownership. This is really about the individual and the impact on their work experience. We usually focus on frontline rank and file workers. Those that often are left out of the beauty of wealth building and job security, job quality. And that is something powerful about employee ownership is that it is built on their backs. This series takes a little bit of a different path at. And this is a one in a series about women in manufacturing, so that women owners through our company, through our product value stream can share their thoughts. So we're talking to Hypotherm women owners from design engineering quality, this session for global sales and a global customer learning operations. Machine assembly, machine operators, shipping and leadership. So on almost all of the owner, owner podcasts, I meet the guest. When we first start recording this, one's a little bit different. And for this series have asked, close friends to share their story. This podcast goes across four countries. So we're hopeful that the OD. Is nice and smooth. If there are any glitches, we appreciate the listeners patients with that. So this episode focuses on sales and customer training. Our guests today are Dominick parody, a senior distribution sales manager from Quebec, Fernando limos, the manager for regional distribution center. Brazil QA manager for regional distribution sales in Europe and Kim Smith, the manager for commercial training. So if we could kind of work our way through and have each of you share a little bit more, you know, we have a, we all have our titles, but what do you actually do? And then we can get our conversation started that way. So, Dominique, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? Yes I have with Hypertherm now for 16 years and I am a distribution sales manager, but I'm also the national sales manager for a national account that I've been in charge now for 13 years. So do you want to hear a little bit about my background? So I've been in the industry now for 30 years. So imagine I'm 55 years old. So I started in the welding industries at 25 years old in a region where demand wouldn't allow women in that kind of industry. I was east of Quebec, very far region where with each account would be about half an hour to an hour away from me. So the first time that they saw me coming in, I was working in the welding electrodes and I had to do demonstration of welding to mans that I had maybe 20 years of experience and needed a lot of. And a very strong character to phase these mens that would tell me to go back to wash the dishes. And I was able to make my, uh, my self true, a true it. And I moved from that region to Montreal. And then I moved from a job at welding electrodes, and I w went to work in the steel industry. Power transmission. I came back to robotic welding, and then I met hypothermia in a welding show, and I was very impressed by the professionalism of hypothermia. And I had a great conversation with the men named Tony Winnie at the time. And he was telling me about all the good things that hypothermia was doing for them. And this is how it started. I moved to hypothermia and now I've been with Hypotherm for 16. Uh, great job. I love the product. I love to people and I never thought I was going to hand my career because I'm going to hand my career a type of thing for sure. I probably have more, maybe five years left, so great job. That's great. Thanks for sharing the background. And it's something also that we'll get to sort of, as a second round of this question is just sort of looking back on how you got to where you are now and what you're most proud of. So we'll come back to that in a minute, but appreciate your starting us off. Well, Dominique, you know, you always have a wishlist. One of the wishlist on my to-do list was to be the best in a man's world. So the first time they spell my name in a sales meeting and I had to, and I won the award of the best overall sales award. Uh, it was like check, you know, but then our third, I heard during that meeting the Ken come stock award and I'm like, wow. This is really something that I want to win. So I, it was like, again, put that on the wishlist and I really wanted to win that award that I won a couple of years after. And this low is like, there's no award. Getting an award from your peers that really think that you are the best person and you're, you know, that award is about Kim. Maybe you can help me because you've been it's about, hands-on be technical, uh, respec by. Peers is that, oh yeah, it's really someone within the sales organization or even outside of sales, but typically it's been within sales that just stands out as someone that, that lives and breathes to support our customer and works really well with all of the different functions within Hypertherm that support those same customers. And it is peer nominated, which makes it so special though. Congratulations. Which I'm the proudest. Yeah, that's a high honor at Hypotherm to us to earn that from your peers. So that's wonderful. Congratulations, Fernanda a little bit more about yourself and what you do. Yes. So hello everybody. I'm Fernanda. I work for hypertension for 16 years as well. I'm Brazilian. I live in Brazil and today I'm the regional sales manager for distribution in America's region. Very focused on Latin America market and part of the Southwest of us. And I started my journey at Hypertherm journey student working in the administrative department for our office here in Brazil. And then I was officially hired as a marketing assistant, and then moving to a specialist then became marketing manager for Brazil, then south America, and finally moved to the sales team. For a Latin America in part of the us. So as Dominic mentioned, uh, the same happened with me. I think it happens for all the women, especially in this industry, in the Mattel mechanical industry where the majority are male. I think if you all have, we all had our challenges. And I remember, and when I used to be marketing manager, when I was doing trades. So we are receiving some visitors in our booth and many of them, when they try to reach out to them in that time, like, what can I help you? And they look at me and the bottle up and say, yeah, I would like to talk with someone of the company. They thought that it was like a receptionist of the booth. And I'm going to say, yes, you can talk with me. And then he said, well, I would like to talk with someone that know. And I said, yes, you can talk with me. Yes. But I want to talk with someone technical. And they said, you can ask any, anything about this product and I can answer it to you. So you know, this kind of perception that because you're a woman or you don't know about technical about the products or you are a receptionist or not even part of the company. So, but I feel proud at the end when I reply all the. The questions of that guy. So, but this is kind of the challenge that we face, because as I said in these industries, the majority are male, but we are here to change this and have more women in the industry. That's great. Thank you for that. Good. A your thoughts, a little bit more of what you do and, and your, your career path, please. So I just realized that I'm probably the newest one here in the group. In hyper terms, I have been with hypertension. For three years over the three years now. Hi everyone. Again, my name is Renee and I joined HyperTerm in 2019 as distribution sales manager for Turkey caucuses and some countries in the central Asia. And last year in August, I moved to the regional sales manager within the same team immune distribution. And have been working in that role since then, I have been enjoying the new challenge in my life, in my career. So I'm covering the distribution business in Northeast Europe, which also includes Turkey, Russia, India, and Israel. I'm originally from Azerbaijan. So I was born in actually in Soviet union back then. And then like 24 years ago, I moved to Turkey for my studies and then I decided to stay and work. I speak as a vagina is my mother tongue. I speak also Russian where due to the Soviet union thing, we are by like lingual, I speak English and I speak Turkish. That's why I comfortably cover all the regions that I'm covering right now. But as I said, this is the first leadership experience in my career. So I'm very exciting. I'm still trying to learn stress, still trying to find my style my way in this role, which is great. I started workings after the university in Ankara, 14 years ago, and I worked for different industries. I've worked in construction, equipment manufacturing. I worked in construction, machinery, manufacturing. Then I moved to the car batteries. And then I find a little move to the plasma cutting industries, welding industry. Let's say. As you probably see that all of those are male dominated industries. And this is so typical when Dominique mentioned her challenges or Fernanda mention challenges. It's the same everywhere. I think independent of the country of the region of the people we all, as women face the same challenge. Yeah. So I've started with the sales. I've always worked in sales because of the languages and because of the knowing other cultures and being a bit more multicultural myself, I always had a interest in being involved in international sales. So I start my career in a small company in non-current Turkey as a sales responsible for. Countries. So after that, I moved to throughout operation and direct sales and distribution management in construction equipment. And finally came here to HyperTerm as a distribution sales manager. So I always been a distribution sales for me mainly. So I brought my experience work in HyperTerm for three years in that role, and then made a major step for me in my career, which I'm very proud of to the regional sales manager. Very nice, very nice Kim Smith. Can you share a little bit more about your background and what you do? Sure. I'm coming up on 22 years at Hypertherm next month. And I always laugh when I say that because I came to Hypertherm. I was teaching elementary school at the time and my position had been eliminated for the second year in a row. And I had the opportunity to come to Hypertherm and I remember thinking like, oh, For a year, and that will give me some time to find another job, you know, in a local school. And man, 22 years later, I'm here and have really never looked back. It's just been a wonderful experience. But yeah, I came in from the teaching profession and I've held roles in organizational learning and training and development, and then had the opportunity to move into corporate improvement. So working with lean and six Sigma to. And driving those adoption of those throughout the organization, building up our kind of grassroots improvement programs, moved into sales. I remember doing a couple of Kaizen events with salespeople and thinking like these are my people. I have to find a way to get onto this team. And I. Love the time working in sales and on our customer engagement team. And now I'm in a brand new role to me, uh, managing our commercial training programs and still learning a bit about what that means, but having an opportunity to serve our customers in a different way, which is great. And Jesse, I had to smile when you said we're almost 2000 owners strong. I think we were around 425 when I started. That's great. Pretty amazing journey. Yeah, that's great. I, I started 15 years ago and I think we had 850. I think it was right around 850 people. So they've continued to grow and definitely expand and expand our reach. But it's fun to have this time with you just personally, as a friend, because I think of with Fernanda being in Brazil, doing what became, XBR our top level product, high-definition cutting customer research and going around. And I remember then when you took us to sites thinking she's the only woman. And then with Dominique years ago, being on trips together, we're going through go back. Ontario is doing a, doing a Praxair open house in Nova Scotia. And the pavement was so fresh that our feet were, it was warm and our feet were sticking in a little bit and we're fighting. Fighting somebody on a sale that was going to buy the competitive. We worked on that customer for an hour and they, they bought the hyperthermia then Kim with Fabtech and being teammates before. And then, uh, QA and I got to know each other through onboarding and some of the early career time. So it's, it's a really a joy to have this time with you. And have you. Your stories. So I'd love to hear, as you want to weave in more things that sort of led to your current role, because since I've known you and we've been friends and coworkers, you've all experienced at least one on a couple of you, two very significant promotions. So we certainly want to hear more about that, but since you all share it a little bit of insight and the challenge you may have had in sales as women, I want to ask you the direct question. Maybe we'll come back to Dominique. What keeps you coming back and in your case over 30 years, what keeps you coming back? Dominic? What do you mean by that? So you've had these challenges. You've had these, some of these adversity and you, you talk about the fight. I saw Fernando waiver hand of, you know, tearing Kim on talking about that warrior. They called me the princess warrior. So there's no a fun if there's not a challenge to achieve. So, and it's a job where there's always challenges in the last two years. Resilience. Is a quality that all of us needed to have because you never know every day it was, it was, you were out of control of what was going to happen. So, and what I like about hypothermia and, and why am I always like every day going out and proud to be a hypothermia employee is first the way they treat us. I've been in situation at the beginning of my career where, you know, The relationship with male was hard and they wanted to have me fired from the company for taking decision for the company. And I had managers like Jeff, Dick Rowe, and everybody at the management level, they stand up and they said, no, you know, she, she, she took the right decision and this made me really proud to, to say that I always have like, On my back taking care of me. If there's a situation where I think I'm losing control, they're going to be there and they're going to stand for me. So, yeah, that's basically the reason for that's great. I appreciate it. So Fernanda, I'll ask it a little bit differently with some of the challenges that all of you have already referred to being women, like you were talking about, where they kept asking for a man and asking for someone else through all of those challenges through your career, what has kept you coming back and pushing. Yeah, I think for me it's more about be part of a transformation. I think when you come, when we wake up every day in the morning, I w I go to the company because I'm part of the transformation, because hypertension does not only produce great and fantastic products, but they also, that changed the day industry. We also have. People that change the industry with their expertise, with the support for our customers. So everything that we do is part of a big transformation and to be part of this transformation is, is extraordinary for me. So in the end, I think transformation means transform people's lives as well because it's transformed my life. The the customer's life, the employee's life, the careers life. And I think that it's so exciting to wake up in the morning and think that you are part of a big transformation, a big change in people's life. And, and coming back to my transformation, as I mentioned before, I was an intern student. I was in university when I started and in hybrid diamond today. As possible for our many countries in distribution sales. So this change at this transforming my life. And I could, I would like to house houses to be part of other transformation as well, and maybe to inspire other people, which we aspire and other women, as I think these podcasts, we also play this role to inspire on and other women to be part of this transformation to be. That's great. Thank you for sharing that. And when we, when we get towards the end of the conversation, I'm going to ask you what your advice is for women considering a career in manufacturing. So you'll have that opportunity coming up soon. Look forward to hearing what all of you have to say. Grenade, what has kept you coming back through some of the challenges as a woman in manufacturing? Well, I think it's. So I never took a no because I'm a woman or I can accomplish it. I, I always thought that I am the same and I deserve to be treated the same and to have the same results as everyone else in the organization. But it wasn't very easy. Fast. And I think that coming from a more Eastern culture, myself, my family, I have, I have struggles, you know, to fight back sometimes. That's why maybe it takes a longer time for me to, to get what I deserve. I have, I had also in the past as Dominique meshes to be best in the men's world, but. Is that. So I think, I think we should be best of ourselves. Right. And also she said that warriors, you know, we are warriors. She is warrior. I think every woman is a warrior. We are all fighting fights, different fights in different places, families, workplaces, schools, but we learn to be warriors from a very small. And then we just develop ourselves to be stronger and stronger. That's it. And now in HyperTerm I really feel and appreciate it. I really feel that there is an opportunity to grow. I feel that I work in a inclusive environment, so that inspires me and well, help helps me to be best of myself. Thank you, Kim, what keeps you coming back? So similar, right? I mean, it is, it's the challenge, you know, as a, as a company, as an individual, just always raising that bar. You know, for me personally, it's just wanting to have a great impact on our associates and our customers, whether that's being a team leader or directly supporting customers or building up the teams that engage with our customers. I mean, that's the fire personally, you know, I love being a bit of a trailblazer, right? You know, I remember thinking about the corporate improvement role before I had applied for it. And someone said to me, you know, this is your opportunity, right? To break the stereotype, break the mold a little bit, it's something different. Or you can just, you know, continue to be a woman in a very traditional woman role. And the minute that, you know, the minute the person made that statement, I was like, all right, darn it. I'm doing it. And it's yeah. You know, I love the idea of just creating something new and pushing forward, proven them wrong. That's great. That's great. Well, Kim, let's start with you and we'll, we'll hear from the others then. What are you most proud of in your career? I guess, with all of you, I have to say so far. What are you most proud of in your career so far? That's a tough one. I think it's just that constant challenge and focus on the people that I've worked with and have had the privilege to lead. You know, proud of not backing down, staying resilient and hopefully having that positive impact. Great. Thank you. what are you most proud of in your career so far? I've thought about this question before, and I think that I want to answer this question from my personal standpoint, not to like work accomplishments, career accomplishments, but personal related to work. Of course. I think I'm proud that when. But I left the companies for another jobs for further steps in my career. I always left very good, strong relationship in the company that I'm leaving. So I always knew that I will be welcome to go back there to work. And I still talk to many people from the, from coworkers, from managements of those companies. So I think. That's really important for me. I involved. I'm proud of that. That's great. Fernanda for you. What are you most proud of in your career so far? Yeah, so I'm very proud about how much I have developed myself along these years, how much I learned, but also about the work that was done. I think the legacy work and the change that I could produce it together with the team in their market that I'm responsible for, because I was the second employee in. In that time, Brazil was a very small market, various more sales volume. Hyperkalemia was not even well-known by the market at that time. And today when I see the big role that hypertension have in Latin America, in Brazil. So it's, it's something to be proud of. And I feel that I was part of this transformation that I have my legacy work here and everything that was said, being a woman, being a mother with the other responsibilities. So, and as, as we said, and I need industry that's majority male. So I'm very proud of, thank you, Dominique. What are you most proud of? I would say that probably the great influence that I have and I had in, in the market opening doors for women in the welding industry or the industrial world, there's a lot of female that we're struggling with this relationship with men and. You know, uh, everybody has heard about me to this famous, famous phrase. I was never afraid of me too, because I think that to be successful in a man's world, you needed to learn how to fight and how to gain that respect and how to show where your barriers are. And that made the woman. I ha I am now. So yes, I am proud to have gone through this 30 years and. Fighting and opening those doors for other woman. And I, and I kept my, I would, I said, I'm trying to find the word now in English. I'm still the same woman. That's great. Thank you. Thank you all for your openness with this. So with that in mind, I want to shift a little bit for thinking about speaking, maybe to a much younger. Or a different context for our listeners. Hypothermia is very active with science, technology, engineering, and math, where we have before COVID. And hopefully soon we will have almost every day. We have school aged students, you know, middle school and high school. So, you know, between 10 and 18 year old students that come do tours, they hand cut with our PowerPoint. Plasma, which is always very exciting to rip some steel for them learning about from finance, from marketing, from even, even some of the folks that we're talking to today. So let's say that you're looking out at a class room full of girls in technology day is one of the things that we host in the, in the building fills up with these different, different school-age girls from different community schools. What would you say to them about a career in manufacturing? What would you, would you encourage them? What would your advice be to, you know, you can pick, let's say a 15 year old, a student that's coming to visit. Dominique. What would you say to a 15 year old girl who's excited about following in your footsteps? What would your advice be? You know, I feel that if you select a job, it needs to be a job that will give you passion, that you will love. Wake up every day. Doing it, I would tell her to never select a job for money, because she's never going to be happy. You need to find a job that will make your day. How would I say you will learn something every day and every day is going to be different and it's going to be a joy to go to work. That it would be my advice. That's great. That's great. And so I'm going to ask the other half of it that I mentioned. If you were going to talk to yourself at 15, what, what would you say to yourself at 15 before you're 30 years and more to come of ratable success? I manufacturing. What would you say to a 15 year old Dominique? I would probably say the same thing. I'm I'm, uh, I'm a very, they always said I, I was a very bubbly person, very passionate about everything and I. We never listened to any way to anybody else in myself. So I would always go with my guts and my feeling, and that's the way I ended up in that kind of business, because it would just like, it would just give me a, in French would say patio, which is like, you feel about it, you know, that's great. Fernanda first, you've got some, a group of 15 year old girls visiting the distribution center in Brazil. W what is your advice to them if they're excited about manufacturing? Yeah. So I would say that in Hypertherm or in manufacturer manufacturer world, you'll have the opportunity to show your talent. Doesn't matter. The gender just believe in yourself. You have this phase to develop yourself and learn every day, because even that this industry is majority male, you were always everyday or invited to make the difference. It just up to you and work hard as a woman, be brave as a woman. And so it's the great opportunity that you have to. To reshape the industry with the woman talents. So, and this is why I love when hypertensive shaping possibility, because this is also one opportunity to say shaping possibility with woman talents. That's great. And if you could go talk to yourself at 15 thinking of the career you've had the success you've had, would you say anything different or what advice would. Yeah, basically the same, but it would say to myself, go get it. Be brave, work hard with a lot of discipline and trust in yourself. That's great. Thank you. Good. A first for helping out with some students, what's your advice to them? First thing that came to my mind, it was always fight. Right. So, and then I thought that why they should fight it, shouldn't be like that. Create an environment for them not to fight and so that they feel inclusive and they can be anything that they want. So I will tell them that the anything you can be, anything that you want, just imagine, want, have passion work hard and then you'll get it. And for myself, probably I will say that don't be afraid. Don't let anyone intimidate you be brave and you have everything to get it. So do it. Thank you. Thank you, Kim. I know you've helped with, uh, uh, stem groups that have flooded through our Hanover New Hampshire Lebanon campus. What's your sorry to interrupt you. What's your advice when, when you talk to them about a future and manufactured. Yeah. I mean, I think it's stay confident in the fact that you can be and accomplish anything you want, but also be cautious, you know? Don't shoot for something just because you're a woman and you think that I don't know how to describe it, you know, don't, don't make it just a gender thing, you know, go for it because it's something you really want is Dominique's point. You know, it's great to be the warrior. It's great to fight and earn a spot, you know, where it's a little bit harder as a woman, but it, to that point, if you don't have the passion around it, if it doesn't drive your happiness, you know, it, it's just not worth that. I would also say. You know, be resilient and flexible build relationships, you know, stay in the moment, like appreciate the journey and remember that it's, it's okay to fail. It's okay to, to try something that doesn't end up being, you know, the, your passion or something that you're the best at, you know, you really, I think you have to try a lot of different things until you find your right spot. For myself. I think the one thing I would, I would like to say to my, my younger self is always stay true to yourself because the minute you feel like you're working in an environment, that's kind of out of alignment with who you are and with your values, it just takes so much out of you. So stay true to who you are and find things that support. That's great. Fernando, you wanted to add something. It has just to compliment everything that was said was fabulous with a quote from. But it ain't brown because I love her. It's a nightmare for me that be vulnerable. I think this is it's, it's summarized everything that he will said be vulnerable and, and don't, don't be afraid. Dominic, did you want to add something? Oh no. I'm just like I'm. So I so agree with everything that you girls have said. I like, I, I really enjoyed that podcast. That's great tune in next week for the conclusion of this conversation. Jesse's guests. We'll discuss how being employee owners affects their jobs and their lives. Thank you for listening. We'd love to hear from you. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter at EO podcast network. This podcast has been produced by Brett Keasling for the EO podcast network production assistants by Victoria Huerta, original music composed by max Kiesling branding and marketing by bitsy plus design and I'm bitsy.
