Carol Fontanez, Jamco Inc. Rental Manager Photo Credit: Contributed

Material Handling a fast paced, rewarding profession for women

Carol Fontanez is always enthused about her work. “In the morning I’m eager to go to work and talk to the next person, the next business. It’s very exciting, never a dull moment,” said Fontanez, rental manager for Jamco Inc. Although her role can sometimes be challenging, Fontanez said she “absolutely adores” and enjoys her job.

The ranks of women like Fontanez in material handling has grown in recent years. These women and their male colleagues are part of an industry that is rapidly expanding, buoyed by technology to become ever more fast-paced and ready to meet shifting customer expectations.

For the past 18 years, Material Handling Wholesaler has published a cover story recognizing the work of women in the industry. This year, the magazine interviewed several women in material handling businesses. Like Fontanez, they expressed enthusiasm for their work and encouraged confidence and dedication as the keys to success.

Here are their profiles:

Cherie Shepard


Shepard is the Director of Material Handling, Packaging and Processing at Direct Recruiters, Inc.  She began in the company as a researcher when the business was a 12-person operation and quickly learned more about the industry through her work with clients, candidates and trade show visits.

Today, Direct Recruiters is a company of over 50 people and Shepard manages a team of five recruiters and researchers. “Knowing, now, how (material handling) affects so many people daily, it is kind of mind boggling,” she said. “You sit at home and order things online and they magically arrive two days later. While behind the scenes, people and equipment are working 24/7 picking, placing, conveying, shipping, to make that delivery happen.”

Shepard said she enjoys her job, particularly being able to impact the success of candidates and companies through job placements. “The rewards and the challenges kind of give me a little bit of fire to do the work,” she said.

About five years ago, Shepard read Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” and decided to take an active role in promoting a culture of support among the women at Direct Recruiters. This group meets to discuss professional and personal development of women in business. They bond over activities like a book club, where a business book is read and discussed. They also participate in charitable events and social activities as a means for developing relationships with coworkers.

“We work in different parts of the building, so it is a nice way to stay connected,” she said.
Shepard advises that other women in the industry take opportunities to help build up their female coworkers and to make sure they have a voice in their companies.

“You are smart, don’t be afraid to speak up and take your seat at the table,” she said. 

Karrie Simonton

Simonton worked in a HVAC business for 20 years before her position was downsized in the economic downturn of 2009. Following this, Simonton joined Heli Americas. The Memphis-based business delivers material handling products for dealers and customers, including a forklift line the company bills as “rugged in both design and componentry, but without the overly complex technology and associated high acquisition and repair costs commonplace in the material handling industry today.”

Her new role meant a “real learning curve” Simonton said, as she didn’t have familiarity with forklift equipment. But she said the transition turned out to be a good one. “It’s been really great, I went from one family to another,” she said.

Now as the operations administrative assistant, Simonton handlings machine orders, sales orders, and all aspects of assisting customers with order placements. She also handles logistics, billing, coordination of items for Company President Bruce Pelynio, sales commissions and more. “I’m kind of a middleman,” said Simonton, who said she appreciates that Heli Americas is “an employee-oriented” company.

Although Simonton said she believes the material handling industry is still primarily staffed by men, it is an environment in which women can succeed. “As long as you talk the talk and walk the walk, you can make it your own if people know what you’re talking about,” she said. “Research and learn all you can and put it to use.”

Virginia Gentile

Gentile and her husband Dan opened “Save”ty Yellow Products in 1994, with an ownership plan. “When we opened the company, we made a conscious decision we would make me the majority owner. It was something we collaborated on,” she said.

Gentile put into practice her firmly-held belief that leadership is earned by working hard. “There’s no job too big or too small that I won’t take on the challenge,” she said. “When I wake up, my feet hit the floor running.”

Her focus is on service; providing quality service to every size order that “Save”ty Yellow works on. This means taking work with her after hours, an approach she and her husband share. “We met when we were 14, married at 18. We just have not stopped. We are both go-getters. Together there is nothing we can’t achieve,” said Virginia Gentile, currently owner and vice president of operations for “Save”ty.

The company is on pace for its 15th consecutive year of growth, and last year moved into a new 20,000-square-foot in St. Charles, Ill. “Save-ty” bills itself as a leading producer of facility asset protection and safety products used in manufacturing, distribution centers, and warehouse facilities. It’s all about perseverance, Gentile said.

She has seen both the number of women working in the industry and the respect they are afforded increase during her the time in the business. “I find that women are just as respected as men,” said Gentile, advising confidence to women entering the industry.

“They need to be confident when applying for the position, (show) that they’re able to learn about the material handling industry,” she said. It is advice she has followed throughout her life.  “Anything I’ve ever done, I put my heart in to doing it with all I’ve got. I study. I know what I’m talking about. I don’t want to give somebody a quote and not be able to talk the talk,” Gentile said.

Dawn Adams

Dawn Adams has been in the material handling business since 1984, working her way to business ownership of Midway Industrial Equipment. The business services, rents and sells forklifts and industrial equipment. It includes two facilities – on the western and south sides of the Chicago metro area – and employs 45 workers. Adams said the business is fast-paced and sometimes challenging, but she enjoys problem-solving. “We exist to solve people’s problems,” she said. 

Her son, Mark Olson, also works in the business and Adams said she appreciates the family-based component to the operation. “He’s been around this his whole life,” said Adams, who said in his school years, her son would help out around the company when on breaks from the school schedule. “He decided to go into business and he loves this. I’m learning a lot from him now,” Adams said.

When she started in the industry, Adams said there were almost no other women in the business. “People would say, ‘Can I talk to your boss? Is there a man there?” Said Adams, who as a business owner, also had to learn to manage men who were older and more experienced than she.

In the years since, Adams said she has experienced the culture shift as more women started working in material handling and a more receptive atmosphere also became the norm.
She said being well-versed in the business is key. “You get respect when you know what you’re talking about,” Adams said.

Sally Hughes

In 1987, Sally Hughes launched her business selling chair casters out of the trunk of her car. She was recently returned from L.A., where she had relocated after college to pursue a career in music and theatre.

“I made a decent living at it, but after six years pursuing this dream, it wasn’t going to happen,” said Hughes, who said she was grateful to understanding parents who allowed her to follow the dream that set her on an entrepreneurial path. “It taught me the value of perseverance and the ability to avoid and silence the naysayers,” she said. Today she is  CEO/Founder of Caster Connection, a manufacturer of casters and wheels, and a master distributor of elite brandcasters, wheels and other material handling products.

The launch of Hughes’ entrepreneurial efforts resulted from her father, himself a business owner, telling her of a contact who knew of schools needing casters for chairs. “I was always pretty creative anyway, so I decided to see if I could sell them to schools, office buildings and restaurants. I would take a bag of chair casters on consignment from my father’s company, a fishing tackle box to keep the stems and the various casters organized and a hammer, screwdriver and channel lock. “I’d introduce myself to the maintenance guy and tell him if he bought the casters from me, I’d put them on,” said Hughes, who sold quite a few chair casters and supported herself by playing piano in a piano bar.

This work led her to a contact in need of some industrial wheels, which she bought and resold from a distributor. Then, she found a manufacturer who “decided to bet on a female from Cleveland who was motivated and energetic,” she said.

The industry has changed over the years, with the development of elastomers, polyurethanes and other compounds, according to Hughes. “That’s where the industry began to change and the client expected a lot more from wheels to solve their challenges,” she said.

Hughes believes there are lots of opportunities for women in the material handling field.
“Like any business you get into, the same rules apply, at least in my mind: be relentless and persistent, have a good product, tell the truth, do what you say you’re going to do and always take care of the client,” she said.

Carol Fontanez

When Fontanez began as rental manager for Jamco Forklift Rentals four years ago, the business had just 10 forklifts and two customers.

Today, the Florida-based business has almost 200 pieces of equipment and over 800 customers. She helped oversee Jamco’s transition from a used forklift wholesaler into a dealership offering sales, service, and rentals across Central Florida.

Fontanez is in charge of bringing in new business and keeping business through follow-up efforts. It is challenging, but Fontanez said she takes pride in her work. She particularly enjoys when she is able to direct a customer to a necessary product. “A lot of customers, when they call they know what they want, but there’s a few that don’t know and I enjoy being able to say, ‘Yes, this is what you need, this is what will work for you,” Fontanez said. Jamco services customers throughout central Florida and also manufactures chargers that are sold to customers worldwide.

Fontanez said she believes personality has a lot to do with success in the industry, including being able to talk to customers and empathize with their needs and schedules. “A lot of customers, they needed everything yesterday” said Fontanez, who said customers appreciate that she never marks up prices for those under a time crunch. “Being able to meet those needs and not take advantage of those needs is huge,” she said.

Quick follow-ups are also key. “A lot of (our customers) before they called Jamco, they’ve called other companies, and say ‘I can’t get anybody on the phone. They don’t answer emails. I can’t get a quote,” said Fontanez, who said she makes it a goal to respond to queries at any time, whether at work or at home. “We are on top of it,” she said. “With regards to my job, I don’t get tired. I’m where I’m at because I have the support of the staff and the owners. They put their full trust in me and I couldn’t be here without them.”

Fontanez said she is speaking with more women through the course of a typical work day, as more in work in the industry and also own and operate material handling companies. “It’s slowly changing and I think that’s great,” said Fontanez, whose advice to women in the business is not to ever feel intimidated. “If you go in with your head held up high and put your best foot forward, regardless, you will make it,” she said. 

Eileen Schmidt is a freelance writer and journalist based in the Greater Milwaukee area. She has written for print and online publications for the past 12 years. Email [email protected] or visit eileenmozinskischmidt.wordpress.com to contact Eileen. 

Author: Eileen Schmidt

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