Women at the Helm

Skokie, IL -- The P-O-P industry has seen many changes over the years, and of note lately is the number of women owning, operating or holding high-level positions within their companies. These women are helping to shape the industry by bringing a different perspective to what used to be seen as simply a nuts-and-bolts, male-dominated industry.Whether they represent the second or third generation of their family-owned business or are running a start-up company, the women we spoke with say their main challenges don't stem from being a woman in the industry; in fact, it often can work to their advantage."All of our clients are very respectful of the fact that a woman-owned business is not in any way a handicap, but it can actually be a benefit to them," says Jana Coyle, president and CEO of Carrollton, TX-based Promotional Arts, a company she started with her husband. "It's not just numbers and hard lines. We're able to see beyond that, and I definitely think women have increased their viability within the industry."A more tangible benefit perhaps, for companies claiming woman-owned status, is gaining certification as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). As more consumer product goods companies look to diversify their supplier base, many say being able to prove minority status can help open new doors.The WBE Advantage"A lot of big corporations have diversity goals they're trying to meet, not only within their own staffing, but within their vendor base," says Barbara Lindsay, president of Commercial Cutting in Mansfield, OH. "Being certified as a WBE has opened doors to conversations that I might not otherwise have had. It's certainly not a flag we carry around, but once we mention it to the larger companies that state that as part of their corporate mission, their ears kind of perk up."Dina Howell, general manager-marketing, global operations for The Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, says her company is focused on increasing its business with women and minorities in all areas. "We're continuing to recruit and broaden our use of diverse suppliers because we know it's the right thing to do and we value what each can bring in helping us provide the best value and insights to help us win with consumers."It makes good business sense, Howell adds, because diverse suppliers represent the company's diverse consumers. "In the case of women-owned businesses, because so many of our products are designed for a woman consumer -- or are purchased by women for others in their lives -- they can bring terrific insight to improve the shopping experience and appeal to our consumers."The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), based in Washington, DC, has very stringent requirements. "They check a company's credentials out very thoroughly before they will issue such a statement," says Lynn Matson, president and CEO of Wixom, MI.-based Pro-Motion, adding that companies also have to go through yearly reclassification to prove they're still what they say they are."Without question it's a helpful thing to have," says Matson, "because it adds tremendous credentials to your company. But you have to have the strength to carry it through. The certification will help you, but it will not guarantee your success."The stringent requirements are what some women point to as their biggest challenge yet. Sally Corman, co-owner of Firehouse Image Center, says because she owns 51% of the Indianapolis-based company and her husband owns 49%, they were denied certification. "Because my husband and I work so closely, they told us we would never be approved." The ramifications haven't been as severe as she originally would have guessed. "It hasn't had quite the impact I thought it would," Corman says. "I have discussed this over the years with several of the large corporations we do work for, and they've said, 'That's nice, but it's not really that important to us.' They're more interested in if we can deliver their job."Her company is currently doing work for the city of Indianapolis and while state regulations mandate that 35% of the business that goes into its new stadium has to be done by minority- or women-owned businesses, Firehouse wasn't denied. "We still got the job, and I think even though we're not certified, they have put us in that 35%."Deian Urso, president of The Display Connection in Moonachie, NJ, assumed the presidency of the company her father started, and she also became majority shareholder. Trained through the ranks in what she says was "all part of a succession plan to transfer the company over to the next generation," Urso realizes the benefits of being certified."From what I've learned, it opens numerous doors within Fortune 500 companies that are looking to expand through their diversity channels," Urso says. "I have seen and routinely see more women on the marketing end and buying end, which is also why I think I can say I certainly haven't suffered by being a woman and in an account-management position," says Urso. "It may have even helped because so many of my clients are women." More women are represented at industry events as well. "There do seem to be a fair amount of women represented, whereas when I went to the trade shows back when I was right out of college, I was one of the few women on the floor. I stood out like a sore thumb in the early 90s and that isn't the case anymore."What Women BringAndrea Martin, president of Point of Savings, Andrea Martin and Associates, says the industry has changed significantly from when she started on the brand marketer side more than 30 years ago. Martin was the first female buyer at E. & J. Gallo Winery. "It was all male-dominated in the purchasing area when I began, regardless of whether you were buying point-of-sale materials or commodities," she says.Martin is now on the vendor side, running her consulting business out of Modesto, CA. "I was contacted by several other wineries and distilled spirits companies after I retired to help them with some of their promotions and projects, and as that grew, I obviously had to set myself up as a true business."Martin adds, "There's a lot of female activity in the industry now. I think women are very creative, they're also good managers and good organizers, and they're conscientious in terms of attention to detail -- all inherent traits that help us in business." "Women have a unique perspective, which often is an important aspect of being able to communicate the objectives of a project well," adds Anita Michals, senior account director for United Displaycraft, Des Plaines, IL. "It isn't as though I'm trying to sell my clients something. I'm trying to solve a need and have my company partner with them so they feel like the responsibility of having to come up with a solution has been taken directly off their shoulders. It's a different mentality. I'm saying, 'Let's become co-authors in what the solution is going to be.' I believe women have brought a lot of that to the game because they're team players."Judy Perri, director of visual merchandising for Toys"R"Us in Wayne, NJ, says she has seen a higher level of enthusiasm being brought to the table when dealing with women-owned vendor companies. "I think when a woman owns the company, she takes it to heart more and truly wants to be successful. There is a little more follow-up on their part as they want to stay on top of things throughout the project. I've worked with many great guys in the industry but think women have to work a little harder and step out more to demonstrate their knowledge of the business."Leveling the Playing FieldAs more women continue to actively pursue careers in engineering, it stands to reason that the ratio would even itself. "It opens the door to a number of quality individuals that are female, and graphics and design has become such an integral portion," says United Displaycraft's Michals."In the past we would design something on a table and then put it together, we wouldn't sit at a computer," she says. "That has assisted in the fact that we have women in those types of industries that support us."Cindy Berkow, vice president of sales for Teaneck, NJ-based Rand Display, agrees that younger women are coming into roles they hadn't in the past, including production and design. "There are younger women in purchasing roles as well, and even if they're not familiar with the industry, they're willing to learn and that's been a good thing."It has helped level the playing field," she adds. "Women, for the most part, do most of the impulse purchasing in stores, so it makes sense that they're either buying or selling what they're going to be purchasing when they get to retail." "We hire young women all the time," says Melissa Oratz, executive vice president of Maspeth, NY-based Ovation In-Store. "If we're hiring young women, it means that hopefully they like it, and they'll stay and grow into this business as well."Lori Goodman, group manager, P-O-S and display purchasing for Plano, TX-based Frito-Lay, agrees that she has seen new blood coming into the industry, both age-wise and gender-wise. "That's happening slowly. A lot of the big CPG companies are very well balanced, and if there are more diverse individuals within a vendor, those are usually the people they put on the bigger consumer goods accounts because it seems to match better in terms of innovation, creativity and thinking outside of the box in new and different ways." Maureen Marrone, director of visual merchandising for Hunter Douglas, Upper Saddle River, NJ, says that while she has worked with some women on the vendor side, the large majority of account reps who call on her are still male. "The male account reps that I have worked closely with have been wonderful and get the job done," she says. "I would, however, love to see more women in this role since they tend to be energetic and very detail-oriented. Women also tend to bring more of their own personality to a project. A good rep, male or female, is so critical to the success of our programs."Benefiting a Cause Women in P-O-P is a platform for women and men to raise money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Now in its 11th year, the annual benefit is co-chaired by brand marketers and P-O-P industry professionals alike."It's obviously a force we all want to be a part of and we're doing some good while we're all having some fun," says Point of Savings' Martin. "It definitely has appealed to a lot of women who may not have stepped forward or been as visible without that particular cause.""In a culture of charity, it has drawn our industry together at large," adds United Displaycraft's Michals. "I know more people in the industry as a result of Women in P-O-P than any other type of venue."Perri of Toys"R"Us says the annual event has helped show the P-O-P world just how many women are in the industry and that they are good at what they do. "Women do understand the processes of manufacturing which in the past had been male dominated. They know what it takes to get a display made and follow it through with due diligence."

Women at the Helm

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