Advancing Women in Flooring w/ the Women of Starnet and WIFI
The Women of Starnet, in partnership with the Women in Floor Covering Industry (WIFI), held a discussion on advancing women in the floor covering industry on May 17, 2024, during the Starnet Annual Meeting held at the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Amelia Island, Florida
Panelists included Kathleen Cloud, president, M. Frank Higgins Flooring; Kaddy Hamilton, president, WC Carpenter; and Erin West, national accounts manager – commercial buying groups, AHF Products. WIFI board member Tanja Kern, associate publisher and editorial director of Floor Trends & Installation, moderated the session. The panelists shared their experiences and insights on topics such as career advancement, building confidence and resilience, work- life balance, leadership, and mentorship.
"Just talk to people—I talk to everybody," Cloud said. "The biggest thing I'm trying to tell the younger people in our office: talk to everybody. Tell 'em from the rooftops what you do, how you can service them. Can you be a source for them to help them?" "Being the first one at work and the last to leave, helping at job sites when needed, making a special delivery—If you are always going that extra mile, you will be recognized," Hamilton added.
On the topic of career advancement, Cloud said, “My recommendation to designers I work with is to advance their career by going above and beyond their job description. If your boss is in the office, get in the office more to learn from them. Remote working has really set back the younger groups, especially women. You need to grow by collaboration with all.”
Tanja Kern then asked the group for their advice on building confidence and resilience. “Knowledge is power. It gives you confidence. Confidence makes you a positive contributor and more productive and more motivated. Soak up everything you can. Go to jobsites and see how the crew installs a weld rod. Take products out to your garage and perform your own scratch tests. Get different types of adhesive and perform your own adhesive applications so you can feel what it’s like to trough glue. Watch your colleagues give presentations to their clients so you can learn a new style of presenting. You should take any real-world, hands-on opportunities you can,” was the advice offered by West.
They also discussed the challenges of work-life balance, particularly for women with young families. "In the office, I still see an issue with women wanting to be project managers (PMs), Cloud shared. “Women struggle with the work/life balance and being a strong voice among all the other trades and PMs. In this area, I personally would like to do a better job. I can find a female candidate who would like a PM opportunity, be a mentor to them, and check in weekly to see how they are handling work stress management. Discussing the tough topics shows true leadership and plans can be made for success."
The panelists encouraged women to seize opportunities, even if they don't feel fully prepared, and to seek out and offer mentorship. "Advocate for yourself, seek help from a more senior person, either in your business or outside of it," Cloud said. "Ask someone to join you for coffee. Practice what you want to say to your boss with them. Also, join networking groups that can help you." "My recommendation would be just to look inward," West said. "Whether you're advocating for yourself or for somebody else, you have to know what you're advocating for and to be very clear on what you're looking for. Is it financial compensation? Is it more responsibility? And determine what that is because when you know what you want, it's easier to advocate for yourself, and for others to advocate for you."
The final topic of the gathering was leadership. Hamilton shared, “My leadership truly involves listening to what my customers have to say and what I am seeing in the industry. I like new eyes coming in, as sometimes we are blinded by what we see every day. One new warehouse helper once told me we had two of the worst pallet jacks he had ever used. I went out to see my warehouse manager, and he said he was used to using them but didn't realize how much work they were until we got the new ones. I feel it is a huge asset to hear what everyone has to say no matter the position they hold.”
We had a great turn out at the event, and the attendees left with some valuable takeaways. Thank you to our amazing speakers and everyone that attended the discussion on advancing women in the floorcovering industry with the Women of Starnet and WIFI!