From our sister publication Print Professional magazine.
When Kim Dwyer was hired at Dayton, Ohio-based International Business Solutions Alliance, she was asked if she was prepared to handle “different personalities.”
Dwyer, vice president of national account sales, who started with the company more than two years ago, learned quickly that every distributor has its own way.
“Some [distributors] have been in business for 30 or 40 years,” she said. “The majority are men and they are used to dealing with men. So you have to adapt. You have to adapt to many different things. People from different geographical locations have different personalities. Distributors from New York have a different philosophy than those from the South. The way to succeed is to be patient and understanding. And I’m a big relationship-building person. Relationships are key.”
Whether a salesperson, a vice president or a secretary, women say getting by in a male-dominated workforce, like the print industry, requires patience, persistence, intelligence, intuition and the ability to be a multi-tasker. Many women, not only in the print industry, are starting and running their own company, having taken on leadership roles and thriving in their careers.
And, the facts back it up. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprised 46.8 percent of the total U.S. labor force and are projected to account for 46.9 percent of the labor force in 2018. The largest percentage of employed women (40 percent) worked in management, professional and related occupations; 32 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 21 percent in service occupations; 5 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations; and 1 percent in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.
Here’s something women can really be proud of: women accounted for 51 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional and related
occupations, according to the labor statistics.
Vera Muzzillo , co-CEO of Independence, Ohio-based Proforma, is one of those women.
Muzzillo spent years working in the banking industry before joining her husband Greg, Proforma founder and co-CEO.
At the graphic communications and business solutions provider, she maximizes strategic development opportunities and provides comprehensive oversight to the banking, cash management, credit, financial, operations and technology aspects of the company.
The banking industry somewhat prepared her for the printing industry.
“It’s challenging to work with your spouse,” she joked. “Banking is an extremely male-dominated profession. So it wasn’t too much of a stretch for me. And, I loved the print industry and helping people be successful business owners was even more fulfilling. There is nothing more exciting than taking control of your own business. The printing industry is so much a part of every organization across America. You really feel like you’re making an impact.”
Muzzillo has proven her success with many accolades.
She was named Top Ten Women Business Owner of Northeast Ohio by the National Association of Women Business Owners Cleveland in 2007. She also has been recognized in the promotional products industry as the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) 2006 Woman of Distinction and in the print industry as the ’20/40′ Visionary by Printing Impressions magazine in 2004.
In addition, Muzzillo began an initiative to recognize the strength of women in the printing and promotional products industry. In 2005, Proforma held its first annual Women’s Panel to discuss the strengths and challenges of being a female business owner. Muzzillo also has moderated a similar program for the ASI.
Success hasn’t hindered her personal life. She and her husband have been married for nine years and they raise 10 children, some of whom have graduated college and are married. Her youngest are ages 5 and 8.
“You want a job done well, ask a busy person,” Muzzillo quipped. “I am an information junkie. In my quiet time, I focus and process. I’m involved in my community and my children’s school. I’m helping coach a soccer team and last week I did lunchroom duty. They’re a priority.”
For Muzzillo, the key to finding the balance is organization and a strong support system. She encouraged women to recognize their strengths and not to be afraid to ask for help.
Leslie Lullie , customer service manager for Elgin, Illinois-based Continental Datalabel, didn’t realize she was embarking on a career when she answered a job advertisement she saw in a local paper 30 years ago.
“It was my job out of school,” Lullie said. “I was out on my own. I found the ad in the paper and it has grown into a career.”
When she started, Lullie was one of three people in the office and she sold the skids of pin feeds. Today, she spends her days overseeing the company’s customer service representatives, managing the office, interacting with customers and handling orders, quotes and material requests.
Lullie never found her gender to be too much of an obstacle but in the beginning, she noted that most men “felt I should be at home. There were times, they would transfer a call to me and the person wanted to hear from a male in the office. And, I just said, I’m the supervisor. They would usually back down and accept my help. Over the years, it has gotten a lot better.”
Today, she is looked at as a real company asset. She has witnessed the growth first-hand. The company has grown to multiple locations and about 30 people work in the main office.
And, despite her many successes, Lullie managed to raise a family. She managed to have it all with the help of her husband of 27 years and a flexible employer.
“During my lunch hour, I picked my kids up from school and waited for their dad to get home,” Lullie remembered. “It was nice to have a job that valued you enough to work with other things in your life.”
Sarah Sester’s career at Continental Datalabel started 25 years ago. Then, she was a part-time co-op student. She moved through the ranks from the accounting department to her current position as human resources manager. Her duties include managing payroll, coordinating benefits, handling employee training and she is the liaison between employees and the company. She also assists in managing IT and is a member of the company’s Strategic Planning Committee.
She said there are definitely more women at the company than when she started. And, she added that more are in management positions. That may be because women bring another outlook to the table.
“They have the ability to multi-task,” Sester said. “Women are more emotional and are often better at understanding where people are coming from. That is important in any business.”
