Amy Alderman
Amy Alderman is an experienced operations and facilities professional based in Marietta, Ohio, with more than 27 years of experience in the janitorial and cleaning industry. She currently serves as a Janitorial manager at Promanco, Inc., where she oversees cleaning operations within a busy warehouse environment that supports multiple companies, as well as, commercial and residential properties in the MOV(mid-ohio valley). Since joining the organization four years ago, Amy has grown her team from just two employees into a larger, cohesive group and is the only female manager among five other managers at the company. Known for her strong leadership and advocacy for her staff, she leads a mostly female team and prioritizes creating a safe, supportive workplace where her employees can thrive. Before joining Promanco, Amy successfully operated a successful cleaning business in North Carolina for 12 years. During that time, she managed five crews totaling 25 employees and specialized in high-end residential cleaning, including million-dollar homes. Her teams regularly handled demanding schedules, most times completing more than 100 homes in a single weekend. Earlier in her career, Amy also gained valuable leadership experience in theater production—first appearing as an actress at age 5 to the age of 10 and later returning at 16 as a backstage manager for one of the largest outdoor dramas in the world, where she supervised more than 300 people and became the youngest manager in the production’s history. Amy’s life story is also marked by resilience and personal growth. Having been independent since a young age she worked hard to build a career in management and leadership. She pursued a Bachelor of Applied Science in Forensic Psychology at Coastal Carolina Community College, where her studies in psychology help in forming her ability to understand workplace dynamics and communicate effectively with people at all levels of an organization. In addition to her professional and academic pursuits, Amy is in long-term recovery from addiction and is passionate about helping others on their recovery journey, offering encouragement and support to those seeking to rebuild their lives.
• Coastal Carolina Community College - BS, Forensic Psychology
• Recovery mentoring and speaking to women in recovery
• Caring for mother with autoimmune conditions
• Christian based outreach
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to stellar communication skills, which are absolutely essential in this field. You have to have excellent communication to work effectively with everyone from executives to frontline staff. My psychological knowledge has been tremendously helpful in learning how to communicate with all stakeholders and employees. In janitorial work, we see a different side of people than what everyone else in business sees, so understanding human behavior and knowing how to talk to people about sensitive topics has been invaluable. Beyond communication, it's about being aware of your surroundings, studying people close to your position, and being open to learning. When you stay curious and keep learning new things, it opens up a lot more opportunities and areas for growth.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to take every opportunity I can to learn new things. When you stay open to learning and keep expanding your knowledge, it opens up so many more areas and opportunities for you. It's about staying curious and being willing to adapt and overcome whatever challenges come your way. Most importantly when you make a mistake acknowledge it and learn from it!
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is that you have to be aware of your surroundings and study people, especially people close to your position. Be open to learning - that's the most important thing. If you make a mistake learn from it otherwise it is just a mistake.When you're willing to learn, you can overcome any challenge. You also need to develop tough skin because this is still a male-dominated field, especially in upper management. At my company, I'm the only female manager out of five, and my team is the only group of women working for the company. But things are changing. I'm seeing more female managers popping up in our warehouse. There's a real camaraderie among us tough women who work in warehouses and deal with difficult situations. The key is learning how to handle people and having stellar communication skills.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There are tremendous opportunities for women in this field right now. While upper management is still male-dominated, that's definitely changing. I'm seeing more and more female managers emerging in warehouses and industrial settings. At my company, I'm currently the only female manager out of five, but across our warehouse, there are more women stepping into management roles. There's a real sense of camaraderie developing among us women in these positions - we all understand that we have to be tough and resilient to succeed in this environment. The landscape is shifting, and I believe we're going to see even more opportunities for women to advance into leadership roles in property management and janitorial services.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values are deeply rooted in my Christian faith - I follow Christ before I follow any man. When I interviewed for my current position, I had four different managers at a table shooting questions at me, and they asked what they could trust about me in such a big position. I told them that my morals and values are stapled in Christ, and if the company had a problem with that, then the company wasn't for me. Everything I have, I attribute to Him. Beyond my faith, I value morals, fairness, honesty, integrity, and mutual respect in everything I do. I'm also deeply committed to protecting my team - I tell every one of my girls when I hire them that my biggest job is protecting them, and as long as they do their jobs, I'll make sure nobody messes with them. I'm also committed to helping others, particularly those in recovery. I was an addict for about 2 years and have been sober for almost 7 years now. I overcame that through Jesus, not through rehab, and I make it a point to talk to girls who are in recovery whenever I have time. I'm open about my past because I've met so many people who don't realize that we do get better. I was an intravenous drug user - the lowest of the low - and I came out of it. It's about will, drive, and just wanting to do better.