Her Story
About Corina
I've been in my field for about 30 years, building my career through determination and life lessons. I started with whatever work I could find - waitressing, fast food, babysitting, cleaning fence rows, yard work, house cleaning, and even sewing clothes to make money. My first administrative job was as a certified payroll specialist in construction, doing the work nobody else wanted to do, and I just kept growing from there. I worked in heavy construction as an office manager and contract administrator, negotiating contracts with government agencies and processing paperwork through city, state, county, and school districts. Then I moved into commercial real estate appraisal, helping build about 36 offices across the country and serving as West Regional Business Operations Manager. I consulted for about 160 small to medium-sized businesses that couldn't afford back-office experts, providing HR, risk, and payroll services through a professional employee organization. When COVID hit, I became a notary signing agent, then moved back to a small town to be near my daughter and grandkids. I put my profile on LinkedIn looking for opportunities in the South, and within 3 hours got a call from a headhunter about a manufacturing position. Since joining my current facility's leadership team in 2023, we've taken turnover from 40% down to 16%, achieved full staffing for the first time in the facility's history, and produced the best numbers since 2006. What I create is that ripple effect of positivity and great culture, from hourly to salary employees, building relationships and helping with the human side of any organization.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Corina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having not just intelligence, but that street-smart common sense stuff, because I grew up on a farm and my dad raised us very strong. It's about kindness, not weakness - the strength I have in connecting to people. My intuition and gut instincts help me recognize that everybody has purpose and that people don't work because it's their luxury in life, they work so they can live their lives. When you treat people with respect and hold accountability - and let them hold accountability on me too - and we work together even during difficult times, that's my strength. I know I'm good at what I do because I see it come together, not because I think I'm all that, but because of what I create - that ripple effect of positivity that creates a great culture in any population of employees. I've been very fortunate in partnering with really great leaders to help create those kinds of cultures where people want to see success and want to be in ownership of their job.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Learn as much as you can. Listen - do active listening. Be a sponge. And trust in yourself, because there are a lot of people out there that like to tear people down because they're insecure. If you're confident in your abilities, you will always have someone who feels threatened by you. Don't let that stop you.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are respect, humility, knowledge, and honesty - these are the principles we build from in our principle-based management approach. I believe in treating people with respect and recognizing that everybody has purpose. People work so they can live their lives, not because work is their luxury, so when you honor that and work together, even during difficult times, you create real success. I hold accountability and let people hold accountability on me too. My main goal is getting out positivity and happiness - not in a Pollyanna way, but spreading that ripple effect where people are affected in a positive manner. My reward is seeing people succeed and helping them see things in a better way. Making a difference in people's lives and changing the world through that positive impact is what drives me.
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