Cynthia Kinghouse didn’t start her career behind the wheel. Working in distribution was a new experience for Breonna Samuels. Liz Mitchell began her sales role without prior knowledge of electrical products.
Yet they all found success in a career field that others might find surprising.
Women at Van Meter are building fulfilling careers and rewiring the way we think about what’s possible in the electrical industry.
What makes them successful? Why is their work so rewarding? Here’s what the women at Van Meter want you to know.
Cynthia Kinghouse, Liz Mitchell and Breonna Samuels
The Culture is Supportive and People-First
Breonna Samuels worked in catering before applying to become a branch team member in Van Meter’s St. Cloud, Minnesota, location. Electrical distribution was new territory for her, but from the start, Van Meter felt unlike anywhere she had worked before.
She got a tour of the facility the day she interviewed. She met the people she would be working with and says, “It felt genuine like I had known everyone for years versus just meeting them all the first day.”
"How the company treats people is different than any place I’ve worked."
– Breonna Samuels - Product Sales Representative
It wasn’t just her fellow employee-owners in St. Cloud who made an impression on her. The attitude starts at the top of the company. Samuels noted how the company’s President and CEO, Lura McBride took time to get to know her.
“How the company treats people is different than any place I’ve worked. Lura knows everyone’s name when she visits different branches and asks how things are going.”
Cynthia Kinghouse received similar support. After working in an office role, she chose to pursue a position as a delivery driver because she saw how happy her colleagues were as they returned from their routes ready to head home. It was a balance she wanted for herself, and Van Meter gave her the opportunity to make that change.
“Once I got into it, you couldn’t pull me away,” she said.
Her colleagues have been 100% behind her. “My co-owners are wonderful. They are very accepting and help me out,” she said. “I could ask for anything that comes to mind. As they say, a damsel in distress, and I just love it.”
Electrical Industry Experience Isn’t Required
Liz Mitchell joined Van Meter’s inside sales team in 2013. Electrical products were foreign to her at the time, but more than a decade later, she’s still thriving in inside sales. How did she bridge the knowledge gap?
It wasn’t easy. As she learned the terminology, Liz isn’t afraid to admit she asked plenty of “dumb” questions along the way. But with patient customers and supportive coworkers, she was able to learn on the job and steadily build her confidence and expertise.
“I didn’t know anything about the things we were selling, but Van Meter propped me up and supported me as I learned the role and the industry,” she said. “You don’t need the perfect experience or background. If you bring other skills and qualities, you can adapt and find your way.”
There are More Important Skills than Physical Strength
What kind of skills are useful for women in the electrical industry? One wrong keystroke can cause a costly mistake for inside sales representatives. Mitchell says her attention to detail, organization and ability to multitask give her an advantage.
“I think women tend to have a lot of tabs open in their brain. We can operate at full speed with 100 tabs going.”
Delivery drivers have more face-to-face interactions with customers than most roles at Van Meter. Kinghouse says her greatest strength is customer service with the people she gets to meet along her route.
What makes someone good with customers? For Samuels, confidence is the most important skill.
“I’m hands on, a go-getter. I have confidence in myself to have conversations with customers about how things are going,” she said. “Be open to change and don’t be afraid to do it. All you need is confidence in yourself.”
Professional Development is Available
Her confidence led her to take on a new challenge in her current role as a Product Sales Representative. She travels to customer jobsites and helps them manage inventory more efficiently.
Samuels started her Van Meter career working in the warehouse and making deliveries when needed, experience that helped pave the way to her current role as a product sales representative.
Where does that confidence come from? She credits some of it to the development opportunities Van Meter provided her through the Exploring Leadership program, the CEO (Certified Employee-Owner) program and the Women of Van Meter. Those programs have helped her learn more about the company and industry. Plus, she’s continuing to develop her communication and leadership skills.
Mitchell agreed that there is no shortage of learning opportunities, whether it’s in-person training or via Van Meter’s online Learning Management System. She even has an opportunity to attend the NAED Women in Industry conference in Houston this spring.
Mitchell says there are no limits to what someone can achieve with so many growth opportunities. “Don’t pigeonhole yourself into a bubble. Seek out organizations that help you thrive. Don’t get hung up on finding the perfect job because you might just find it along the way.”
"Seek out organizations that help you thrive. Don’t get hung up on finding the perfect job because you might just find it along the way."
– Liz Mitchell - Inside Sales Representative
You’ll Thrive at Work and at Home
Helping people thrive means helping them be their best at work and home.
In some industries, delivery roles can require long hours and time away from home. At Van Meter, Kinghouse is thriving as a delivery driver because she has the flexibility to build a schedule that allows her to be home when it matters most.
“It’s a wonderful job. I come in early, I make my deliveries and I’m back at a reasonable time,” said Kinghouse. “And I’m home every night!”
The company’s culture is what first drew Mitchell to Van Meter—an environment she describes as people striving to be their best without the pressure of a high-stress workplace. Over the last decade, that culture has fueled what she calls “astronomical” growth. “It’s not surprising,” she says, “once you’ve been part of the company.”
FIND A CAREER OPPORTUNITY IN THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY
Could you picture yourself working alongside other women in the electrical industry? Visit Van Meter’s careers page to find opportunities in full-time roles as well as internships.
