Hear Her Story: A Podcast from the Women in Manufacturing® Association (WiM)
Allison Grealis, Host
Stephanie Stuckey and Lisa Winton, Guests
April 2024
Allison Grealis: Hello and welcome to episode 37 of the Women in Manufacturing Association’s “Hear Her Story” podcast. This conversation initially took place at the 2024 WIM’s South Conference in March in front of a live audience of more than 300 women in manufacturing and allies. My name is Alison Grealis. It’s an honor to have this opportunity again in May which happens to be Small Business Month. I’m thrilled to be joined by two incredible small business owners, Stephanie Stuckey, chair of Stuckey’s Corporation, and Lisa Winton, CEO and co-owner of Winton Machine Company.
Thank you for joining us for this episode as we discuss Stephanie and Lisa’s inspiring journeys into leadership, as well as the unique challenges and opportunities small businesses face in manufacturing
I’m excited to have you both here on here. Her story, and you have this forum and this platform as a place where we try to inspire either women and industry or future generations of women who want to pursue a career in manufacturing. And I think, hearing these stories, that women like yours is so very inspirational to hear how you rose, and how as well you succeed in your current positions and at your companies.
The Personal Journeys Leading to Manufacturing Leadership
Let’s get started, Lisa, with you sharing a little bit about your career journey or background, and how you rose to be leader of your organization.
Lisa Winton: Thank you, Allison. Winton Machine started in the basement of our house, and my husband and I actually started the company together. When I reflect back on manufacturing, and I really think about it, my manufacturing journey started as a small child. It started in New York, where I grew up, and I came naturally to manufacturing. Both my grandfathers were in manufacturing. One had a dress manufacturing business and one had a coat manufacturing company.
Lisa Winton: As a small child I would go visit my grandfather, and I could remember him putting sugar cubes in his desk for me, so I think it’s rather ironic that I’m sitting here with the Candy Queen Stephanie from Stuckey’s. I continued on, and I went to college, and graduated with a business degree, but I really didn’t think that I’d go this route to become a leader in manufacturing or a small business owner.
I was on a retail career journey for about 11 years and my husband’s an engineer. Together we decided to start a manufacturing company. In 1997, we built our first machine in our basement when we were given an opportunity by a local bicycle manufacturer.
And from there we grew the business. And I really didn’t think that manufacturing was going to be part of my journey in life. But I’m so glad it is. I love manufacturing. I love being an American manufacturer, and every day is full of new challenges, and as a woman, I can remember many times in the past being the only woman in the room. When it comes to manufacturing, I think that’s changed, and I look forward to the discussion on how it has changed.
Allison Grealis: Thanks, Lisa. Stephanie, tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and how you came to be leader at Stuckey’s.
Stephanie Stuckey: Like Lisa, I got a lot of inspiration from my grandfather, and he’s the one who started Stuckey’s during the Great Depression as a roadside store and he grew it from there to its peak.
At its peak, Stuckey’s had 368 stores nationwide. The stores were gas stations, and also candy shops that had quick, hot meals on the go, and clean restrooms. We really were the first roadside retail chain that predates TA or Loves or Buckee’s. Stuckey’s was really the first roadside retail mecca that Americans would pull over on road trips and find a little oasis on the side of the road.
He sold the company, and it was out of our family for decades until four years ago. I was like Lisa. I didn’t think my career would include manufacturing, but I had the unexpected opportunity to buy the company.
It was for sale, and at that point, there were only a handful of the Stuckey’s stores left, and the company did not own them. They’re independently owned and operated. I had to figure out a way to reinvent the brand, and I decided to literally go back to our roots as a pecan company, and my grandfather had a candy company, and that candy plant of his is sadly shuttered, so I wasn’t able to revive that. It’s in total disrepair. But I was able to get the financing, together with some business partners, and we bought a bacon, snack, and candy company outside of Augusta, Georgia.
And we have resurrected not only the company, but all of the original stacks that my grandparents made and made famous, including our pecan log role that we’re best known for. And we now sell those to retailers nationwide. And, like Lisa. I’m really proud that we’re an American made company. The pecan is the only snack nut native to our country. And we source all of our pecans locally from Georgia farmers and all of our packaging is domestic, and all of our ingredients are domestic. We really are an American manufacturing company, and I’m just proud to be part of this effort to put America back to work.
Unique Challenges and Opportunities for Small Businesses
Allison Grealis: That’s excellent. So, as we celebrate small business month here in the month of May, and you both are at the helm of some outstanding businesses. You know. What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities that you both have faced at leading a small manufacturing company. Maybe let’s start with you, Lisa.
Lisa Winton: Wow! I don’t know that we have enough time to talk about all the challenges for a small business yet. A small manufacturer. I’ll try to hit a couple highlights. As a small company, there’s an advantage and a disadvantage to the fact that we have a smaller staff. We employ 40 people here in Georgia and those are direct employees, and then we have lots of contractors that help us.
We build machinery. As such, we have a lot of engineers and mechanical people, assembly, and so forth, and we’re a family. And as a family, sometimes it runs super smooth, and sometimes you have some dysfunction. I think that as a small company that you feel it a lot more. You feel the loss. When someone leaves you feel the triumph when you bring someone on board. I think managing people tends to be one of the biggest challenges when it comes to being a small business.
I think finance is another small business challenge. I can remember many years facing the fear of making payroll and it is definitely not cut out for everyone to own or start a small business. However, it is the backbone of the United States of America, and I am proud that after 26 years that we’re still here, we’re growing, and we’re shipping worldwide.
I’d say that financially, it’s still a struggle, because each stage of a business has its own struggles financially. We’re now in a growth stage. And I’m trying to look for more space and inflation has really hit us. Hard. Inflation has hit us from the supply chain side. The increase in cost of all our materials to our labor rates, to just our overhead. And with that, you know the additional space, the current space we’re in after five years has doubled in price. Those are a lot of challenges that many small businesses, unlike mine, really struggle with every day.
Allison Grealis: As she mentioned. You know, people and you know that being a challenge which I can imagine, especially for a small business, as you shared. You know those folks are nearly like family when it’s so close knit, and such a small group. And as you stated that the stages of a career, Matt or a company’s maturation is so interesting. Because with each stage, growth is wonderful and you have new customers and opportunities.
Allison Grealis: How do you position yourself to be ready for those things which can be tough? And in today’s economy it is very expensive. Such difficult times and as well, Stephanie, what are some of the challenges you have experienced as you’ve now resurrected? Your former family business, and now are leading this company to success.
Stephanie Stuckey: Same challenges that Lisa is facing, and I think same challenges that the listeners are probably dealing with as well, and the small manufacturing space. And I think that’s what a lot of your listeners. That’s where that’s where we are. We’re in that niche that we’re growing, and we want to be bigger.
And the capacity to scale is that’s been our biggest impediment to growth is getting the financing we need to scale. And I would add to what Lisa had to say in that. If you’re small, if you, unless you want to take private equity dollars, which I think are fraught with a lot of complications.
I, personally and my business partner have thus far decided we are not going that route. You have to bootstrap it, or you have to get loans which often we are collateral. That’s personal guarantees and personal collateral. So like, Lisa said, it is not for the fan of heart you will have those days when you’re worried about making payroll and making sure your cash flow is there, and as you’re trying to scale reinvesting in the company to grow and getting the access to financing. And I will add, my pet peeve is that the way economic development dollars work?
It is mostly focused to benefit large corporations, large manufacturing, and most of the dollars go towards large employers, because the metrics by which success is judged and graded for economic development is on the job count. A they always look at all right. We’ve the State is invested 100 million in this company in exchange for X number of jobs. It’s the job count, that they’re already always looking at, which I agree is important, but
Stuckey’s in Wrens, Georgia, and we’re almost at the exact same job. Count Lisa, we’re 40 employees.
We’re one of the largest employers in Jefferson County. Who’s to say us getting 10 more jobs isn’t just as significant as a corporation that’s bringing thousands of jobs to a large metropolitan area. But the economic development authority and the way we are judged, and the way the government interprets success is all on just the raw jobs numbers, makes it hard for us to tap into a lot of these economic development incentives that are available to larger corporations. You really have to be scrappy and hardworking and bootstrapping it a lot to grow.
Lisa Winton: So true, Stephanie. I can relate to every word you said from the economic development standpoint. It’s true how many jobs are created because that’s what they can put into the press. And that’s what you know gains the momentum. And I can understand that as well. We want to make sure that we’re getting a bang for a buck, you know, just like we do in business, I think. Just to add to that conversation, I think that the government, a lot of the programs from the government have a huge impact on the growth of a manufacturing company. And so right now, you know, we’ve had discussions around, you know, Research and Development taxes and expensing interest.
And those have a direct relationship with small companies, because even if you’re not a manufacturer, the listener’s not a manufacturer, and they’re just a small business. They’re impacted. Because if Stephanie and I are adding people to our manufacturing plants, then they’re purchasing houses. They’re going out to restaurants at lunchtime, you know. They’re going to the grocery store. They’re contributing to the economy.
The fact that I am directly impacted by the government legislation, and especially these tax packages. I need my customers to be able to expense their R and D and also expense my R and D investments. As a United States Company, we want to be able to compete with companies around the world, and the only way to really compete truly is to be able to at least have been on the same playing field. And right now, we are not.
We’re like, we’re way out in the outfield, and they’re up there at first base. And I would hope that members of government can see that from our stories, from small business stories.
Stephanie Stuckey: Yeah, they all like to talk about how they support small businesses. But when it actually comes down to some programs that benefit small businesses. Most of what we get offered is job skills training programs through the local technical college. And we’re already partnering with the local technical college like.
Allison Grealis: You need dollars. You need capital.
Stephanie Stuckey: Yeah, we need dollars. I will throw out one program that is awesome and is actually through the internal Revenue Service, which is the New Market Tax Credit Program. I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole, but I’ll just say if there’s anyone listening that’s interested in new market tax credits, that is an opportunity to grow your company.
And it’s for certain types of expenses. We were able to finance additional equipment purchases through that program. Your facility has to be based in a New Market Tax Credit Zone. And it’s like some of the opportunity zones. It’s not the same as an opportunity zone, but it’s the same concept where if you are in an economically disadvantaged area, you can qualify for some government incentives that really can help. If you’re looking to locate your facility. definitely, pay attention to whether or not you’re in some of these zones that can qualify you for financing and not just financing outright money.
Allison Grealis: Okay, yeah, Cash is King. And support is critical from the government.
Stephanie Stuckey: Yeah, but you don’t have to pay it back.
Small Business Competitive Strategies for Hiring
Allison Grealis: You both talked about competitiveness, so competitiveness overseas as a small business, and the United States. You also mentioned large companies and large competitors. We know there’s a war on talent that everyone is looking for people to fill their open positions. As small business leaders, what are some strategies that you both have employed to compete effectively with large competitors and companies in the industry and also in your geographic areas where you are trying to hire.
Lisa Winton: I can definitely start with this one. Being in Metropolitan Atlanta. I’ve been a very unfortunately, I am not in an opportunity zone or a new market tax credit zone. And I am competing with a lot of other companies and a lot of larger companies that might build you a better benefits package than I can.
I’m grateful to have been part of the National Association of Manufacturers 401(k) Program. And if people aren’t familiar with met programs, they should look into those, because as a small company to be able to be part of a larger 401(k) can offer my employees much better benefits around retirement than I could before, and we’ve had a retirement plan for quite a while. This new met plan, though, really reduces their fees, increases the assortment of investment. It’s a really great opportunity. I think the way that you treat and the culture within your company plays a big part of that, and I think that there are some people that really prefer to work for a smaller company than a larger company.
And I might not be able to match salary. I try to come close to benefits may match or may not match. But at the end of the day, I care about the families. Every one of my employees is so important because they’re integral to a designing and building every machine from start to finish. From the first touchpoint of the customer to solving a problem, to building a machine, shipping it out the door and then offering service for hat equipment. There is no one that’s any more important than anyone else in this building, and they need to understand that. And I strive for our culture to be that way. And I really care about the people here, and I hope that that helps our competitiveness. Because at a larger company it is hard to have that personal touch.
I think those are some of the things I’m always looking for ways to improve morale, to help on the competitive front. We just hired someone today. I’m super excited. So, as Stephanie said, we’re a small company, and when we add people, it’s a really great thing. And some of our positions have been very hard, and we just hired a gentleman from Venezuela that’ll be starting tomorrow as a machinist, which is, you know, really, really terrific. So, he chose us.
Allison Grealis: That’s excellent.
Stephanie Stuckey: We just hired someone today, too. we hired a financial director, which we really needed. We had a comptroller who’s been doing an amazing job. And we’re transitioning that position to being head of procurement, which is also a role we really needed. And we needed someone 100% focused on procurement.
I think the advantages we can offer is we are in a rural community and not everyone wants to live in a big city, and we can offer a good job with an opportunity for advancement in Wrens, Georgia, with population 2,900. When you are in a small town. There’s more of an opportunity to be the big fish and the small pond. And I like that. We can offer some good wages with opportunities for advancement with skills that we will train in house. We’re willing to take people who don’t have skills and train them.
Of course, if you’re an accountant. You’re going to have to have a certain skill set, but a lot of our folks don’t even have a high school diploma. Some of our people working on the plant floor may have criminal records. But we will give people a second chance. And we, a hundred percent, are welcoming to that.
We’ve been able to give three rounds of pay raises since my business partner and I bought the company three years ago .We really value having competitive wages. And then we instituted a benefits program, and we keep adding on to that year after year. And then, of course, like Lisa said, culture matters, and we do once a month we have an “All Hands” lunch where we treat everyone to some time for fellowship, and we celebrate birthdays, and we celebrate successes, and we also share failures. And we can talk openly about things we should be doing better. And we really just work hard to instill a sense of belonging and family. We believe that we are a family business, even though I’m the only family member from Stuckey’s. That culture of being part of a family is something that we really value.
Lisa Winton: We do a similar lunch program as well on the birthdays. And we got that lunch idea probably 10 years ago, actually, from one of our employees that suggested it. I think they’re all really important. Every touchpoint. And you know, with another idea, we went ahead and started giving birthdays off because often as we get older, our birthdays just come and go right by. And this way, it’s a special day, and it’s not a PTO day. It’s a birthday. You’re supposed to take your birthday off, or a day that week.
Stephanie Stuckey: Oh, that’s nice! Alright! I may have to steal that. My employees, if they’re listening, will suddenly expect that.
Allison Grealis: That is a great idea.
Overcoming Obstacles or Biases as a Woman Leader
Allison Grealis: You know, we, as an association globally for women and manufacturing, we’re often looking at data. And how are women risen in the industry? What are our percentages like in terms of representation and leadership? And our most recent report that we do periodically that came out earlier in 2024 shared that about 23% of manufacturing business leaders are female. So wanted to hear from both of you. If, as you’ve risen, and are present day leaders of your companies, have you faced any obstacles or biases as a woman leader in in what is still present day mail dominated industry? And if so, how have you overcome some of those obstacles or biases? As you have positioned yourself as a leader in this industry.
Stephanie Stuckey: I will do my best without knocking some of my male colleagues too hard. But it’s interesting. I have two business partners. Both are male, and one is more of a passive partner, even though he’s very involved with what we call our strategy. But the other business partners, the CEO and I’m the chair, and we are equals as far as ownership and running the company. And I do find quite often that he’s the one people turn to.
Up until about 6 months ago I had the title of CEO, and we switched because I do more of the external branding and outward facing stuff. But even when I had the title CEO, they would go to him, and they wouldn’t even loop me in or copy me. Me or include me in the meeting, and sometimes you have to really put yourself in the room, and you belong there.
And you have to call them on it, too, and say, You know, I own half this company. You need to have me in the room, and my business partner was very good about including me. He’s been terrific and we’re equals.
But it’s sometimes the way other people would just defer to him, and I don’t know if Lisa had that with her husband, but I know I saw that with my business partner and
I would say it’s upon us as women when we’re not in the room to make sure we are in the room, and then once we get in that room to bring other women in the room, and when we’re talking about promotions. Make sure that it’s done with lots of love and respect. Because I have a son who’s a white male and a father, who’s a white male, and I love white men, but
We can’t all be white men. We have got to have some diversity, so that our corporation reflects our customers, our workforce, the community and society. You cannot be a company that is modern today without making sure that we are bringing everyone to the table, and that’s the way you grow.
So just put yourself in the room, and I found I’ve had to do that on more than one occasion.
Lisa Winton: I absolutely love that. We need to bring women into the room.
I’d say that early on I had a lot more obstacles. I can remember being at a trade shows, and especially when you’re dealing with metal working trade shows. People just looked at me as booth staff. They didn’t look at me as someone who owned this company. However, things changed over the years, and I think that’s because I was invited into the room. Whether I pushed for it or whether I asked the right questions and was recognized, for it.
Being part of the National Association of Manufacturers has been instrumental in that for me. I’ve been able to be in the conversation. I’ve been able to be around the table discussing trade deals, discussing policy, discussing whether it be locally State or Federal.
And being a voice for manufacturing and a voice for women. The Manufacturing Institute has been doing a phenomenal job with women make America. And it’s all about mentoring. It’s all about recognizing women in our industry that really stand out. And if anyone’s listening, I would definitely recommend that you self-nominate yourself because it’s something we don’t do.
We don’t do a very good job of self-nominating ourselves or speaking up about ourselves. We wait and we sit back until we feel like we’re ready. And a lot of times. The opportunity passes by at that point in time. I think that I have really benefited, like Stephanie said, from women inviting me into the room, inviting me to the board table, encouraging me, mentoring me.
I have two business coaches who are males since it’s always good to have a male perspective, but I think one of the things that women bring to the table, as we naturally have a higher EQ (emotional intelligence).
I think that’s really stands out being a leader in business is when your EQ is higher, that emotional intelligence is so important because you need to be able to touch and feel and relate, because everything is not black and white.
Stephanie Stuckey: I remember when we taped this originally, we had such a great conversation about the trade show and the booth babes, and that is when it’s really apparent how few women are in leadership positions, because you go to these trade shows and a lot of times what’s in the who’s in the booth are men who are in positions of leadership. And then you’ve got the women who are wearing this this scanty outfits. Every year at the candy show, there’s a chocolate manufacturer, and I’m not going to call them out, but their booth is always populated by these women and Shorty shorts and spiked heels, and they don’t look like they have ever eaten a piece of candy in their lives. And it shocks me that that is still what is being promoted, and there, of course, there are no men and short shorts out there. Publicizing stuff and trade show boosts. Not that I would want that. But I just think it’s pretty glaring sometimes, and when you see that convenience store shows are probably the worst for that, you go to any of those energy drinks, and it’s just booth babes.
I don’t think that does a lot to advance having women in positions of leadership. It’s up to us to be the women in the trade show Booth, who are in control, who are cutting the deals, who are closing the sales or making the leads so we need to start showing up in the booths and our suits, and or at least I usually wear my jeans and my Stuckey’s shirt, but we need to be in there presenting another side as well.
Allison Grealis: And I liked your comment, Stephanie, about not calling people out, but bringing awareness to the fact that, hey, I’m an owner, too, or I’m a person that you equally need to be talking to about these things. It’s changing. What are those norms or those stereotypes around who’s a decision maker, a decision maker can be female and owner and leader can be female. And I think it’s just changing those biases that unfortunately still exist in manufacturing.
Stephanie Stuckey: And most of the candy buyers at major retailers are female, I mean. I haven’t seen the stats. I just know anecdotally who I see in the room when I’m making these pitches, the candy buyers, the decision makers are female.
They need to think about who is their audience? Who’s their customer?
Best Advice for Listeners
Allison Grealis: On this podcast we always like to close our episodes with advice. And you folks, I’m sure of lots of advice that you’ve received over the course of your career, so would love to have each of you share with our audience what is the best piece of personal or professional advice you’ve ever received. And I don’t know who would like to start. Maybe you, Lisa.
Lisa Winton: You know it’s funny. Every time I get asked that question my answer changes, and I think the reason my answer changes is because my advice is that you know just never stop growing.
I mean, you are one place, but the destination is unknown and I feel like every day I learn so much. And I need to be open to learning whether it’s from the people around me or you’re taking courses online, or whatever the means of learning is, you need to continue to learn to grow as a leader.
My best advice is don’t ever stop learning and don’t ever stop growing.
Stephanie Stuckey: Yeah, I have four words, You. Are. Not. Alone.
I think leadership can be very lonely sometimes. Especially if you’re a female in an industry where we are outnumbered and, frankly, I thought that 23% number in manufacturing was pretty high. But remember you are not alone.
There are women in manufacturing, and there are support groups there for you. And even if there’s not a formal association, just know that there are women who’ve been going through what you’re going through right now, and we’re there for you. One of the things I really strive to do. And so far, I’ve kept up with it. Anytime a woman asks me for advice, and it’s usually on LinkedIn quite often, it’s a cold call.
I will say yes, I will do a Zoom Meeting. If they’re in Atlanta I’ll meet up for coffee.
It’s 30 minutes of your time, and it could really make a difference in someone’s life. And I really tried to pay that forward. I heard Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS, speak recently. She said essentially the same thing, she said. I will always say yes to giving someone mentoring advice. I will not turn you down. And then, she said, “it may take a year to get on my calendar. but I will have that call with you.” And I thought, if Carol, Tome, CEO of UPS, can make time to have 30 minute coffee or a call with someone, then I sure can. I think it’s just knowing you’re not alone. And there’s a lot of women out there who want to see you succeed. We’re rooting for you all, and we’re here. We’re here for you.
Lisa Winton: I love that, Stephanie, and I am rooting for you. I am rooting for Stuckey’s
and its success. I can remember driving home from college. I could always remember the Stuckey’s signs they were my map to get home. And I just want to say, Allison, that I truly believe that mentoring when you’re given the opportunity, you’re given the privilege of somebody reaching out to you to ask for your mentorship.
I think that it’s our obligation, as women to say yes, no matter how busy we are because not only I feel like, not only are you helping them, but I feel like in return. I get a lot more, and I continue to learn by mentoring others.
Conclusion
Allison Grealis: 900% totally agree. Well, what a great conversation! And I’m so happy that you both were able to join us for this discussion, not only about your leadership journey, but as well, some of the unique challenges and advantages of being a small business and a manufacturing company in the Us. And it was a pleasure to hear about how you’re, you know, tackling a leadership role and as well, I think some great, a great advice was given to her. So, thanks for being a part of her story and sharing your story, Lisa and Stephanie.
