Influential Woman · Retail Facilities Management

Jessica Fumo

ProFM

Director, Store Preservation / Retail Facilities, SEPHORA

6Awards received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Community College (attended Degree Degree not completed) Degree ProFM Certification Cert ProFM Member Connex FM (Chair of Board of Directors) Member MOB (Maximizing Opportunities for Your Business) Member SPECS Member Connex Foundation Member Women in Action Committee (Co-Chair Member 2019)

Her Story

About Jessica

I've been in retail facilities management for 20 years, and I currently serve as the Director for Sephora, a role I've held for 3 years. My journey in this industry started during college when I was offered an internship at a physical plant. After graduating, I joined Dress Barn as my first corporate retailer, and from there, I built my career working with Party City, VisionWorks, and even a startup company where I helped build their facilities team through COVID without being furloughed. Retail facilities is basically the backbone of any brick-and-mortar store you see. I lead a team of 6 people right now across North America, and we handle thousands of requests a year from stores needing help with maintenance, break-fix items, and problem-solving. My role has shifted to being a leader, supporting, guiding, and coaching my team through all the chaos that comes with facilities work. There's never a typical day - I've dealt with everything from a car driving through a storefront to an alligator on a loading dock at a Party City location. I'm passionate about building relationships, especially between retailers and vendors, and I lead with authenticity, transparency, integrity, and empathy. I believe we are humans first, and I always keep that at the forefront with my team.

Quick Facts

IndustryRetail Facilities Management
Based inSC
Specialty Retail Facilities Management
- Facility Management
- Store Maintenance and Break-Fix Support
- Team Leadership and Coaching
- Vendor and Retailer Relationship Building
Volunteers with Connex Foundation
- Women in Action Committee (Co-Chair
- Supporting women in facilities management)

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Jessica

01What do you attribute your success to?

I would say my parents. They've always taught me to work for what I want. If I want something, I need to earn it. To never give up - that quote by Vince Lombardi, you know, quitters never win, winners never quit. That's something that has always been something my mom says to me, so I definitely thank them for the values and lessons that I take to this day.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

There's no I in team. I think that's something that has been ingrained in me since I was young, and my parents teaching me that, to being in this industry. There's no way that this is an I industry. Everything we do is a team, and I really value that.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Build a solid network. Don't be scared to go for what you want, because I think if you have the right people in your circle, in your community, in your network, and the right support and encouragement, nothing can stop you.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

AI and technology are big opportunities hitting our industry right now. I understand that technology is extremely important, and I know AI is part of our future. But I'm so passionate about real human interaction and collaboration. I'm not old school, I just live for that real human connection. As for challenges, one of the biggest I faced early on was being a woman in this male-dominated industry - it's about 75% male-dominated. It was really hard to get to just the manager level. I was always the only female in the department, always had male bosses, and I think it really challenged me early on to push harder. I wrote a handwritten letter to the VP of Construction and Facilities at Dress Barn to tell him that he wouldn't be disappointed if he hired me. I wasn't willing to just let it slide by. I knew that's where I wanted my career to be, and I'm not scared to go for what I want. It made me question a lot of things, but it also made me push harder to prove things wrong.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I am very authentic. I respect people that are authentic. I keep it real. I don't like hiding anything. I'm very transparent. I feel like leading with transparency and being authentic just helps make things so much more clear and approachable with teams and peers. Leading with integrity is very important to me, as well as empathy. I am very empathetic to my team in that we are humans first. We're not just workers - we all have families and lives and personal things going on, so I really try to keep that at the forefront.

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