Her Story
About Deanna
I've been in the logistics industry for 43 years, and it's got its ups and downs. There are some very stressful moments in logistics, just making sure all moving parts are all put together so that things make it from point A to point B when they're supposed to, and in an efficient manner. My main objective in the day is to ensure that our inventory accuracy remains at 99.97% accurate, and that is through my team. I have a team of people that work for me, and they do auditing of product coming in the building, product leaving the building, and then they are constantly cycle counting what's out in the racks, still in-house in our buildings. We have 6 facilities now - 5 in Ohio and 1 in Texas - so my team is spread out across multiple buildings and states. The only time I left this industry was for 5 years when I went to AT&T to work as a sales representative in a call center. Five years into that, my employer that I work for now, that I had left previously, called me and wanted me to come back. So I've been back now for 21 years. Without good inventory control, the whole operation doesn't work - if we can't find the product that is supposed to be shipping that day, that throws a wrench in the whole operation because trucks are scheduled to come in, they've got appointments, they have to be on time or they're fined. It's like a well-oiled machine.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Deanna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I guess I'm old school and come from a generation where when a company gives you an opportunity, and you're being paid for that, you give it your all. And I think that because of that, that helped me to climb the ladder. It's just a generation that was basically raised that way. You're given a job, you respect your employer, you're there on time every day, you do exactly what you're told, you show a willingness to grow and learn, and then the magic happens.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I have ever received is to always document conversations that you have with your employees, so that there's no gray area moving forward. Always have a record of everything that's important.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say never, never lose sight of the position you're in. Because equal titles should mean just that - you are equal to your male counterpart, and never lose sight of that. And, you know, learn to respectfully push back if you need to. But yet listen and respect your counterparts in return. I don't want it to come across as like I'm bitter or anything like that, but it's important to remember this because logistics is a very male-dominated industry.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There's always opportunities because we are such a vast growing company right now. There are just so many opportunities to move around. We're looking to expand out west, so there will be opportunities there. As for challenges, it is because of the rapid growth. Maintaining accuracy all while bringing on more business is very challenging, especially in the role that I'm in with the inventory control. Because you gotta still remain accurate with our inventories to keep it like a well-oiled machine. If we can't find the product that is supposed to be shipping that day, that throws a wrench in the whole operation. Trucks are scheduled to come in, they've got appointments, they have to be on time or they're fined. So without good inventory control, that just can't happen.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
As far as importance in my career, leaving a legacy is very important to me. Because you just don't see that often, especially with women in the logistics arena. It's a very male-dominated industry. So to have a legacy once I leave and my career has ended, that I'm respected and remembered and talked about positively once I leave, I think is very important to me. In my home life, I've been divorced now for over 30 years, so I have been the sole breadwinner. I was used to living a double-income lifestyle, and my husband made very good money, so when we divorced I wanted to continue to have a good lifestyle. Therefore, I made it my mission to continue progressing throughout my career. In order to have the home life that I wanted, I had to be good in my career.
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