Ladies Who Lead in Caring for Our Customers
Meet seven women who have an impact on our success through their daily interaction with our customers.
When you’re dealing directly with our customers, you are the face of Olympic Steel. You’re representing our values and ideals through your work, and you have the opportunity to improve our customer relationships and grow the business with every touchpoint.
This month, we’d like to introduce seven ladies who go above and beyond to take the lead in Caring for Our Customers.
Deanna Pizer, Inside Sales Manager, Berlin Metals – Hammond, IN
Deanna began her career with Berlin Metals as an Inside Sales Representative in 1998. In 2018, she was promoted to her current role, Inside Sales Manager.
When she first entered the steel industry, she learned as much as she could about how steel is made and how it becomes the different products people use in their daily life. “I feel learning how the process works has helped me provide the best service to our customers,” Deanna says. “There have been times where I have known before our customer when they will need material or when they have ordered the wrong material.”
Over the years, Deanna and her team have found that being patient with customers, listening to their requests and having a positive attitude builds their trust in our service and the Company. She relied on these established, strong relationships with customers when she was promoted to Sales Manager. “The new role added managerial responsibilities that allowed me to continue to take care of customers that I had been handling for 20 years. This would not have been possible without the trust, encouragement and respect that the Inside Sales team and my colleagues have given me, aiding in my success,” Deanna explains.
In 2019, Dan Harnois joined the Berlin Metals team as their General Manager. Deanna says, “His trust in me and the rest of the leadership team opened opportunities that have helped us become more successful through continued growth.”
Outside of work, Deanna enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially her two-year-old grandson. She also enjoys staying active – she’s completed in four marathons and several half marathons and recently started golfing (attending her first MSCI golf outing in August 2021). When she’s not cheering for the Chicago Blackhawks or Chicago Bears, she’s finding ways to learn more about the steel industry and looks forward to helping grow the business.
Teresa Boyd, Account Representative, Chicago Tube & Iron – Quad Cities and Des Moines, IA
Teresa started working for CTI in May 1990 in Purchasing, then moved into Quality, and after about five years, she moved into the Account Representative role within the Sales department.
She’s been an Account Representative for 25 years and enjoys the connection she makes with her customers, developing a relationship over time. She says, “It is truly a blessing to be able to work on a daily basis with such great people – something I never take for granted.”
Teresa says the best part about dealing with customers is getting to know them on a personal basis. “I’ve been able to work with some of the same people for 25 years – it’s amazing!” she says. “There are all different personalities, and I adjust how I work with each of them, tailoring my interactions to their needs. It’s extremely interesting and rewarding.”
There are challenges inherent to her job, but Teresa assures us that these challenges are not due to customers. “The challenges are related to numerous situations that can crop up, like a canceled truck or a mill running behind,” she explains.
She handles these challenges with complete transparency. “I am a firm believer in always being honest with my customers,” says Teresa. “Sometimes we may have to relay negative information, but then, we get to help them work through the challenges to the best of our ability.”
Teresa is thankful for her co-workers, customers and great managers who have helped her tackle these challenges throughout her career. “I am a survivor of a very serious illness, and I’m a fighter,” she says. “I am especially thankful to Dr. Donald McNeeley who fought along with me and always had faith in me.”
Bev Christie, Inside Sales Representative, Olympic Steel – Cleveland, OH
Bev started her career in the metals industry 35 years ago at another company. She began as part-time data entry, then transitioned into full-time as the Assistant to the Plant Manager. She helped implement the first computer-generated bills of lading for their steel deliveries. This experience led her to Inside Sales and, eventually, Inside Sales Manager. The company implemented a new computer system in 1996 and Bev was part of the collaboration team that made that system a success. In 2005, Bev made the move to Olympic Steel.
“I started in Inside Sales and it’s where I want to stay – because it’s what I do best,” Bev says. “My goal is to exceed expectations to keep the customer happy. Whether I’m answering questions or resolving issues with a positive attitude, 100% customer satisfaction is my top priority, because it’s how we create loyal, returning customers.”
Bev understands that sales is usually the first contact a customer has with the Company. She knows this is a critical position and it’s one of the reasons why she enjoys working directly with customers. “They trust me and rely on me to follow their order from entry to shipment, and everything in between,” she explains. “How well I do my job has a direct reflection on how we complete the customer’s request and this interaction influences the customer’s value of Olympic Steel.”
Kim Witkowski, Outside Sales Representative, Olympic Steel – Cleveland, OH
Kim worked for Olympic Steel, left for another opportunity, then returned in 2018. Now (and then) she worked as an Outside Sales Representative for the Cleveland, OH division. She left to pursue another opportunity and returned to Olympic when she realized it wasn’t what it seemed. Thinking about what brought her back to Olympic Steel, Kim says, “Having worked for someone else and returning to Olympic Steel, I now recognize what it’s like to work for a Company that truly cares for its employees and customers.” She resides in Michigan and manages accounts in Michigan and northeast Ohio, selling the products and services for the Cleveland, Gary, Mount Sterling and Schaumburg divisions.
Much like Olympic Steel cares for its employees, Kim cares for her customers. She enjoys being in sales because it’s exciting and she can be the face of the Company. “I sell our strengths and represent who we are, why we are different and how we can solve their problems – all while balancing what is in our best interest.” She further explains, “It is an opportunity to be transparent, honest and hold to our commitments.”
According to Kim, the best part about dealing with customers is the balance she strikes between meeting a customer’s need while protecting the Company’s interest to be profitable. “This is key,” she says. “In this role you truly have to enjoy people and have the ability to solve problems and EARN a sale – this requires patience, respectful persistence and trust, which will lead to a successful, long-term relationship.”
Kim’s experiences have supported her belief that it’s a full team effort when it comes to caring for our customers. She says, “It’s an honor to represent Olympic Steel in the field and it takes the entire team (Inside Sales, Management, Purchasing, Credit, Operations, and Traffic) to complete the sale. Our respect for each other and the respect from our managers who support our sales efforts matter – that respect is key to our success.”
Kara Zachman, Sales Manager, Olympic Steel – Minneapolis, MN
Kara started her career at Olympic Steel more than seven years ago as an Inside Sales Representative. After about three years, she was promoted to Inside Sales Supervisor, then Sales Manager three years later.
Kara spends time evaluating the profitability of the Minneapolis Coil and Plate divisions. She enjoys working with the sales team and Inventory Manager, analyzing inventory levels and adjusting their sales strategies as needed to align with their inventory goals.
Working directly with the customers is a large part of why she enjoys her job. “Most customers are great to work with, and I enjoy helping them through issues or finding material that will satisfy their requests,” she explains. “Customers genuinely help make each of my days better!”
The supply issues our entire industry has faced this year resulted in many challenging conversations. “Being upfront and proactive when sharing issues with customers goes a long way,” she says. “Most of our customers understood the reasons for the issues and were open to entertain alternative solutions as needed.”
Leah Kiley, Regional Contract Sales Manager, Olympic Steel – Minneapolis, MN
Leah began her career with Olympic Steel 10 years ago as an Inside Sales Representative. Two years later, she was promoted to Inside Sales Supervisor, then Account Manager in 2016. One year later, she was promoted to Inside Sales Manager, and in 2020, she became Regional Contract Sales Manager.
“I enjoy collaborating with other divisions and internal teams to be successful each day,” Leah says. “I have a passion for account management and love what I do because it allows me to build customer relationships, solve problems and strategize on how to maintain and grow our business.”
Dealing directly with the customers to grow our business is the best part about Leah’s job, because she gets to see firsthand the impact our material has on the product our customers produce. “It’s rewarding when two companies work together to find a resolution that keeps production going,” she says.
Working through challenges with customers is fueled by her desire to see the customer and Olympic Steel succeed. “It requires a strong partnership,” she explains. “And these challenges are opportunities to show our commitment to strengthening our relationship with the customer.”
Leah thanks her Dad for introducing her to this business. “He retires this year after 48 years in the industry,” she says. “I never thought I would follow in his footsteps, but here I am, and I’m so grateful.”
Jody O’Connell, Sales Manager, Olympic Steel – Schaumburg, IL
Jody O’Connell started her career in the metals industry in 1986 as a Clerk. She spent 13 years in manufacturing, then purchasing. She accepted an Inside Sales position at Olympic Steel in 2000. Six years later, she was promoted to Product Specialist, then Purchasing Product Specialist and, in 2011, she was promoted to her current role of Inside Sales Manager.
“I’ve had the pleasure of watching the growth of the Schaumburg, IL division for the past 21 years,” says Jody. “We have a great group of individuals who work well together. Having a great team helps us communicate better and makes it easier to get through any issues that may come up.”
Jody works directly with customers each day. “This interaction gives me the opportunity to gain the customer’s trust and prove to them that Olympic Steel will do what we say,” she says. “Our open communication with the customer will help us build a long-term relationship with them.”
Challenges associated with processing customer requests are inevitable. Jody credits the fantastic team of sales, purchasing and operations professionals who maintain the channels of communication to keep everyone, including the customer involved. “As long as we can continue to communicate effectively, we’re able to make decisions that are best for everyone involved,” Jody says. “I’m proud to be part of the team and thank Olympic Steel for recognizing my contributions and accomplishments.”
Deanna, Teresa, Bev, Kim, Kara, Leah and Jody enjoy working with customers and their teams to support our Company goals and help each division (and our customers) achieve success.
Help Celebrate Our Talented Team!
The Leading Ladies feature kicked-off in December 2020 with Ladies Who Lead in Our Industry. That month, and for many months since, we’ve featured employees who local leaders have identified as positive examples of the talented women building strong careers at Olympic Steel. It’s important to share stories that inspire others to keep working toward their goals and bringing different perspectives to their teams.
It’s not always easy to attract women to our industry. With these profiles, we hope to inspire the many talented ladies already on our team and encourage more to join Olympic Steel.
Know a leading lady who has an inspiring story to tell? Send your referral to CompanyCommunications@olysteel.com.
