When I graduated college, I started in sales at a local flooring company. After gaining a lot of knowledge about wood and flooring products, I realized I wanted to join the representative side. I then moved to residential sales at Emser Tile. This is where I got my experience of being out in the field, learning the building process and meeting local home and pool builders in the area. Before coming to Simpson Strong-Tie, I worked at National Pool Tile as an outside sales representative. This allowed me to gain knowledge about outdoor builds such as pergolas, decks and pools. In turn, all my previous work history set me up for success working with Simpson. I have tons of knowledge about the building process as well as all the materials we sell.
I found Simpson through my manager, Joe Ritchie. His father-in-law was my good customer at National Pool Tile, and I helped Joe and his wife Daniela select items to refinish their pool. After a successful meeting, I got a call from Simpson Strong Tie, mentioning that the territory manager and I had met not too long before. This was a great experience because I’d had the chance to build a professional relationship with Joe and his family, so I already felt comfortable working with him.
I’m currently a dealer sales rep for Simpson Strong-Tie in the Austin area. I love helping customers and supporting them throughout the year in sales and events. I particularly enjoy being a female in a male-dominated industry because it offers opportunities for a different kind of customer relationship. Sometimes, women can bring fresh perspectives to how a business presents itself. I often get acknowledged for the organizational and merchandising skills I bring into the stores with unique strap board displays, pergola designs, or creative ways to showcase our products in shadow boxes. I also make sure to include personal touches in signage, POP cards, and the organization of ring binders. I also get acknowledged for my extensive setup for customer events. I always like to include a few samples of the products that customers sell, a new product I would like to showcase, catalogs, some food or goodies, sometimes a small demo station, and Simpson swag. This helps generate excitement about our products by allowing people to be hands-on and have fun when interacting with our company. 
Although a lot of people may still harbor the misconception that women aren’t knowledgeable about construction or don’t enjoy tools and building materials, I’ve managed to build strong relationships with my customers in this industry. I’ve done so by making sure the Simpson set is clean and shoppable and that our customers have everything they need to sell our products, including literature, online portal access and software tools. I’ve integrated my strengths as a woman into the retail experience, allowing me to build trust with my customers and increase product sales.
