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Family That Works Together, Stays Together

Family That Works Together Stays Together

In May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s generally a day that brings to mind times when our mothers were supporting us, comforting us, or encouraging us. It’s a Hallmark movie in our minds. Now, think about working with your mom. Does that movie genre change to a comedy? A drama? A B-horror movie? Well, if the thought of working with your mom makes you chuckle, sigh, or shudder a bit, you will love meeting the mother-daughter team of Jean Herron and Crystal Phillips of Federated Group.

In November 2020, Jean celebrated her 30^th work anniversary at Federated. Her career started in 1990, when a friend of hers was hiring for an accounting position at Federated. After a year and a half, she moved into the Information Technology Department for a data entry position. With Federated moving to bigger and better computers, Jean was asked to fill a newly created Help Desk Administrator position. Her aptitude for computers and networking systems has gained her the current title of Technical Operations Manager. “As one of my previous bosses would say, I ‘keep the lights on’ at Federated,” quips Jean.

Crystal’s career at Federated, you can argue, started when she was just six years old. She grew up going into the office with Jean on some weekends and getting to color on the special green and white striped continuous printer paper. “Mom’s coworkers were always so friendly. When we went to visit mom, we also visited her entire department; the people smiled when you walked into their office and were genuinely happy to see you,” remembers Crystal. She continues, “Federated used to have ‘Bring Your Child to Work’ days and Christmas parties that made me think, ‘I want to work at Federated when I grow up!’” Once Crystal turned 18, she just waited for her opportunity to arrive.

In August 2005, it did. Crystal started in Federated’s Retail Customer Service department. From there, Crystal took every opportunity to learn something new. In her 15 years at Federated, she has filled roles in Category Management, New Item Development, and Labels & Packaging. Her current role is as a Project Manager in, you guessed it, Information Technology, like her mother. “While [at Federated], I moved into my first apartment, got engaged, got married, bought my first house, and had my 2 daughters,” notes Crystal. “I’ve literally grown up with Federated and all those who have come and gone.”

For the mother/daughter pair, working at the same company has truly been something they cherish. Crystal loves that she gets to work with her best friend every day. “My mom is the very best human on this planet. Not only do I get to have her as a mom, but also as a co-worker and teammate. She’s a permanent confidant.” Jean echoes her daughter. “I greatly enjoy being able to see and talk to Crystal almost every day. She is good people (let’s be honest, she is GREAT people!), and I don’t know that if we didn’t work together that we would have that chance.”

When you ask the pair if there are any challenges in working together, they genuinely have very little to offer. Crystal acknowledges that being together in the same department it is assumed, at times, that their roles are interchangeable in the minds of co-workers. “My goal has always been to live up to my mom’s legacy without receiving any special treatment, and to make my own mark to earn everything on my own merit,” Crystal explains. And according to mom Jean, she has done just that. “If there was a handbook for working with family, I’d call it ‘Be Your Best Self,’” Jean says. “Don’t assume you can just ride the coat tails of your family member. Crystal represents this better than anyone I know. When she started, she never wanted anyone to say she was getting special treatment because of me.”

Spending time together every day at work doesn’t mean the two shy away from talking about work off the clock. “Federated is like family after having worked here so long, so it just comes up in conversation,” says Jean. “We don’t consciously make a point to talk about it or not talk about it.” Crystal agrees, “It’s no different than coming home after work and talking to my husband about work. Only my mom understands from first-hand experience. Sometimes, having those conversations makes you feel validated.”

If either Jean or Crystal needs any validation, they don’t need to look any further than each other. In talking with these two, you can feel the mutual admiration when they discuss each other’s strengths. Crystal looks at her mom’s career trajectory with great pride. “My mom started as a Matcher in Accounting. With a high school diploma, she managed to learn new skills, take on any new challenge thrown her way, and surpass any expectation set for her to eventually becoming Technical Operations Manager, or, as I have so lovingly referred to her as for MANY years, ‘Grand Central Station.’ If anyone needs help with a system, they call Jean. After 30 years with the company, she is still learning new skills that she probably never thought she’d learn. She does her job with such integrity and compassion, and she sets the very best example of the woman I want to be.” Jean is equally proud of her daughter. “I am in awe of Crystal’s knowledge of Federated. Because she has held positions in different departments, she has a wealth of knowledge of different processes that we use. I am always calling her to tell me who to refer someone to or ask how something works. She is way more well-versed than I am about the company. She is also way more organized than I can ever hope to be.”

Hearing this mother-daughter team’s story is really sweet and inspiring. It’s a perfect tribute to Mother’s Day. Maybe this year, along with the flowers, you’ll send your mom a job posting!

Intern Appreciation Month

April is National Intern Appreciation Month!

There are so many of us who launched our careers through an internship, and maybe even in a career we hadn’t first imagined. Topco Associates Human Resource Specialist Nabiha Asfar started as an intern with Topco and spent some time assisting the WISE Marketing Committee as well. Her story reminds us how important internships are in finding amazing talent and showing young professionals that they can find a successful career in private brands.

WISE: Nabiha, please give us some background on where you went to college, what your major was and why you chose that major.

NABIHA: I graduated from DePaul University in June 2020 with a Bachelors degree in Human Resource (HR) Management. I chose to major in HR Management because I wanted to work in a role that allowed me to work with people and make an impact beyond just a financial level. Human Resources is very service-oriented and I love seeing the work I do help the company I work for every day.

WISE: How did you find your internship opportunity with Topco?

NABIHA: An internship is required in order to graduate from DePaul. I was familiar with Topco because my sister-in-law actually works in Category Insights at Topco and I had seen the opportunity and applied for a prior internship. Then, about a year later, she was volunteering at a career fair DePaul was hosting and I had plans to meet with her after the fair. I went to meet with her as the fair was wrapping up and got introduced to my now manager where she told me more about the opportunity. It was truly a right place, right time moment.

WISE: Tell us about your thoughts leading up to the start of your internship. Did you have any expectations of what it would be like or did you do any preparation?

NABIHA: I came into Topco without any internship or corporate experience, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wanted to be a sponge and just soak in as much knowledge as I possibly could within Human Resources. Topco has a complex and unique business model, so I prepped myself by doing a lot of research on the company prior to starting. I still think I learn something new about the company every day.

WISE: You were an intern during COVID. How did that mold your experience?

NABIHA: I had about two months in person before Topco went completely remote in March. I’m extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to continue my internship remotely and began working a full 40-hour work week since my classes were remote as well. Adapting to a complete virtual environment made me strengthen my communication and time management skills.

WISE: Part of your intern experience was working with WISE. How did that come about?

NABIHA: I learned about the organization through my manager, Emily Glass, who sits on the WISE Board. Topco is also a proud partner of WISE and offers a membership to all associates. Emily brought up the internship opportunity at WISE and I thought it would be a great resume builder and professional development opportunity for me. I was part of the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) chapter at DePaul and missed being part of a professional organization. I’ve always wanted to work for a nonprofit and WISE has a mission that I really value so I couldn’t say no to the opportunity.

WISE: What were your thoughts about the organization as you learned about WISE and its mission?

NABIHA: I thought the organization was doing important work and providing amazing opportunities for women to connect with each other and learn from one another. I appreciated how welcoming everyone I worked with was and felt like I was part of a community. Diversity and inclusion is a topic that I’m really passionate about and I think the work WISE is doing to champion D&I in the store brand industry is not only important, it’s essential.

WISE: What do you think could be the future for WISE?

NABIHA: Although I absolutely loved everyone I worked with, I did feel a disconnect being a younger WISE member. I think this could be an opportunity to develop a WISE Junior Board as it could provide a professional development platform for a new generation, diversify the organization and bring in new perspectives.

WISE: How would you sum up your intern experience(s) and what advice would you give to students when considering an internship?

NABIHA: I enjoyed my internship with WISE and I’m grateful for all the people I was able to connect with. I had a blast each time I was able to collaborate with someone new. I would advise students to take a second to reflect on what matters to them when applying to an organization. Is this a company whose values align with yours?

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Celebrating International Women's Day

On March 8th, we will celebrate International Women’s Day, and, of course, WISE wants to recognize this extraordinary day. The big question is always how to best do that. This year, with a little ingenuity and the beloved term “creative license”, we decided to feature two amazing women whose professional talent enabled them to move their families from Italy to the US while working for WISE partner member Sofidel.

Meet our international women, Giorgia Giove and Giulia Marcucci. Both women have been instrumental in Sofidel’s entrée into the US market. Sofidel brands are well known in Europe, and the company is one of the world’s largest producers of paper for hygienic and home use. Wanting to access the largest consumer market for its products, Sofidel entered the US market in 2012. To help drive the US expansion, Sofidel enlisted two of its bright, Italian home-office stars to move to the Philadelphia, PA, headquarters operation.

WISE: Hello Giorgia and Giulia! Can you tell us a bit about your history with Sofidel?

Giorgia: I have been with Sofidel for seven years, two years in Italy and five years in the US. I started with a marketing internship in the UK. From that internship, I was hired for the B2B business in charge of the EU market. My manager at that time was moved to the US, and he brought me over with him. We launched the PaperNet brand for B2B, really building that brand awareness from zero. Since I’ve been here, we’ve launched other value-added products like hand towels, toilet paper that sanitizes pipes as they break down, dispensers, and dispensers made with ocean plastic. Sustainability and hygiene will be key focuses in this next year. I’m doing the job I’ve always wanted to do. I like the people; I like the environment. It’s very diverse. The US is like a continent, not a country. Our vision of the US is that everything is like New York, but once you start traveling, you see the differences. Being in the US has always been an ultimate dream for my life, so I feel like I accomplished that.

Giulia: I am an engineer by training, and have been a manager of Production Planning for more than 10 years. I started my career with General Electric Oil & Gas in Italy. An opportunity with Sofidel came up by chance like most good things in life. The office was much closer to my home. Thankfully, my industrial equipment skill set and mindset transferred. After four years of work in Italy, I received an offer to move to the US. Sofidel is committed to making our mark in the US market. I manage the production of finished goods and paper used in finished goods for all six sites in [the] US. It’s a wonderful team of professionals. I have been here for three years as of March 1, 2021. Three days after we arrived in Pennsylvania, there was a very heavy snowstorm. We had to go to a bed and breakfast because the place we were renting lost power. We thought if this is the start of our time in the US, good luck to us! In the beginning months, you kind of look for the differences in the places, and then you start to call it home.

WISE: What are some of the general differences in working in Italy versus the US?

Giorgia: They are very different. First, the US is the country of opportunities. You can become anything you’re capable of becoming. You can grow really starting from zero with some sacrifice. You don’t need a family connection to achieve something. In Italy, it’s much harder to grow professionally. You either have to be super exceptional or really have to have connections. It can keep you stuck. The job market in Italy is not as dynamic either. Once you have a job, people are generally happy with what they have and they stay there. Here, you can start a restaurant in one room for example. Also, in Italy, family and friendships are really important. We are always together. Friends are very different here. I get the impression that the US is much more individualistic. Then, of course, you have the economic difference. The US is a consumption market. In Europe, you have to have savings. We are trained from kids to manage money, and we cut spending in a crisis. Finally, we Italians are very direct. If something is not good, we say it’s not good. Americans are more like “You did a great job, but here’s what I’d change . . ..” We’ve had to learn not to shock people when my boss and I are arguing in Italian!

Giulia: The biggest difference is that the job market in Italy is much slower. It’s very difficult to change jobs or find a lot of opportunities. You have to be an outstanding talent, and you really have to challenge yourself. Here is much faster. In Italy, there are a lot of people who start in a company and stay there for 30 plus years. It seems really rare in the US for someone to do that. As a manager, you always try to motivate your team so they do not leave, but in the back of your mind, you don’t take it too personally because you realize it’s very probable they will move on. For me, it changes the relationships in the workplace. Also, there is a difference in the way women are involved and listened to between the two countries. In Italy, the glass ceiling is much more present in almost every company. For a woman to be at the same level as a man, it takes luck, or it’s very unlikely to happen. Given the same conditions, men are in higher positions. In thinking about my daughters, I would really like them to have the same opportunities as their male peers. Why should we always have to demonstrate going above and beyond? There is a little bit of surprise when you show that you’re as good as your male colleagues.

WISE: What have been your favorite opportunities working in the US environment?

Giorgia: Anything tangible is fun! When I can pull something from a shelf and say “look what I’ve been working on,” I find that exciting. In general, I love working on trade shows. I like organizing and being in charge. I did enjoy working on the product brand launch. I learned that designing a brand campaign is a bit different as people here want things very clearly stated and specific. With some EU campaigns I’ve worked on, we provided a general outline, and then country reps would tailor it to their needs.

Giulia: It might sound a little bit strange, but I think being in a supply chain role during the pandemic has been a great thing from a work perspective. In the supply chains lesson books in the future, they will reference what we did. It’s changing the way companies do business or, at least, it should. We found ourselves in an unbelievable time with everyone buying toilet paper like crazy. We had to be creative. It was super challenging, but inspirational. The way a company manages something like that determines if they are going to be there the next year or closed. As a company, we managed not to lose focus and come together as a team across departments to make sure the company was successful. I’m really proud how we came together as a team to manage the pandemic.

WISE: What differences have you noticed in the roles for women or the kind of support they receive at work in Italy versus here in the US?

Giorgia: In Italy, there is an increase in women in management. What I see as a problem or a barrier for women moving up in their career is maternity leave. The role of mothers is always very important in the lives of the children, and a lot of companies view this as a problem. Here in the US, maternity leave is very short, and society is way more prepared for both parents to be working. In Italy, maternity leave can be much more extended. When I was interviewing for a job, a lot of interviewers would ask me if I had a boyfriend or if I was planning to have a family. They are allowed to ask those questions. Women can be viewed as a problem employee rather than a valued resource. There are more families with two people working. Things will have to change. The US is so far forward on this.

Giulia: Back in Italy, groups have just started to advocate for women in a manner. Here it is much more established. I feel like, in general, across the board, working or nonworking, women have been asking for more presence even with how laws are written. For working moms, there is still some stigma. For example, when a woman has a child, everyone is questioning whether or not she is going to go back to work. You’d never ask a man “Now that you are a dad, are you going to quit working?’’ No one would ever ask that. Or, for example, my husband took three months of parental leave after the birth of our first son. Friends were convinced that he was going to get a worse position because he took time off. I think a person willing to take care of his family is going to take care of his job.

WISE: What kind of advice would you offer to young women for their professional careers?

Giorgia: Be strong. It’s important to take control of specific things that happen and own our reactions. We have to make our place. We need to work harder to do it. Don’t ever let go. Be like a train, always moving forward!

Giulia: Don’t be afraid. Travel as much as you can. Try as much as you can. Follow your thoughts and ideas. It will pay off. Not all ideas go somewhere, but all ideas will make you the person you are meant to be. It takes courage.

Imposter Syndrome

Coach Katie Sowers Leaves Us All Better Than She Found Us

Featured speaker Coach Katie Sowers, offensive assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers delivered a very heart-felt and intimate message at the 2020 virtual WISE Annual Meeting on November 12. Katie, the first female and openly gay coach to be part of the professional football league, opened her appearance by saying, “My main goal is to leave you better than I found you. It’s up to you.”

From a very young age, Katie knew she wanted to be a coach. Her dad, her role model and biggest fan, was a basketball coach at Bethel College. Unlike her dad, Katie wanted to be a football coach, a professional football coach. She and her sister would round up neighborhood boys to play football. Katie taught one of her male friends how to throw a football. But at that time, girls just didn’t play or coach organized football so she turned her focus to basketball. Ironically, the focus on coaching basketball is exactly what put her on her path to professional football. While at Goshen College (IN), Katie went to the coach of the women’s basketball team – a team she had played on but was no longer eligible – to volunteer her time in the hope of gaining some more coaching experience. The coach sat her down in his office and told her that because of her lifestyle, because she was gay, they couldn’t have her working with the team. It was “nothing personal” he added. That first experience of truly facing discrimination head on fueled something in Katie to reach for her football dream no matter what obstacles lay in her path.

We all know that Katie has achieved her dream. She is coaching in the professional football league. Hers is not a Cinderella story, but one of hard work, passion and determination. She has met several obstacles being both female and gay. How Katie has met those obstacles is what sets her apart from the crowd. She looks back on those instances with gratitude for the lessons that they’ve taught her. She is also grateful for the opportunity she has had to educate others that we should not place people in predetermined boxes and that understanding is key to changing people’s minds and valuing diversity.

At the center of Katie’s message to the WISE audience were four personal tenets that she shared. The first was “don’t assume she likes pink.” Growing up, Katie was happy doing what people typically assumed that boys wanted to do like play football. “Opportunity is limited because of these constructs that we as a society put around girls and our children,” declared Katie. “Even the most open-minded person in the world has been built to see the world through a certain lens. To see change, we have to start with ourselves.”

Second, she advised that “if it doesn’t open, it might not be your door.” Reflecting back on the discussion she had with the Goshen college basketball coach, Katie now says she’d tell him thank you. That experience forced her to find something different to do, and she discovered and played for the West Michigan Mayhem, her women’s football team. “The reality is we all control our narrative,” Katie stated. “We control the way in which we view what happened to us.” Instead of being consumed by anger or self-pity, Katie chose to redirect her energy to finding a new path to her goal.

Next, Katie shared that “attitude will be the difference.” In facing challenges as a female coach and discrimination as a gay woman, Katie has chosen the route of communication and education. She articulated, “Hatred and judgement will not cure ignorance. {We have to] seek first to understand.” With her own team, she has noticed changes in the way players and colleagues talk to her because she has used humor and patience to teach them how seemingly harmless comments can indeed hurt.

Finally, she encouraged us to buy into “this idea of believing in people.” Katie believes that regardless of who you are or where you come from, you can make a difference. “Our obstacles, our boundaries, these barriers that are placed around us are actually invisible. These things society placed on us, it’s up to us to break through them.” Katie credited her mentor Scott Pioli, former assistant general manager for the Atlanta Falcons, with elevating her belief in success because she felt that someone truly believed in her.

At the end of her presentation, Katie left the attendees with a parting thought about being agents for change against discrimination and for diversity. She reminded us all that self-reflection is extremely important in creating change. “We have to reflect on who we are. We all have unconscious bias. It’s been ingrained,” she said. True change in thought and behavior happens when each person can put in the work to examine their own biases and be willing to learn. “You can make the difference,” she prompted the audience with a big smile.