International Women's Day - Courtney Rude Lamie

#Internationalwomensday may be over, but we’re still celebrating! Our weeklong feature of Blank Page women continues, with our focus today on Courtney Rude Lamie, our vice president. Courtney says the Blank Page staff is uniquely diverse, which gives our agency an approach to marketing and advertising not often found in the agricultural industry. She also encourages young women entering the workforce to be “genuinely yourself.”

Question: What do you do at Blank Page?

Courtney: I am vice president of account management. I run our account team, which is made up of the team members who work directly with our clients.?

Question: Why this job?

Courtney: I really enjoy this job because I feel it brings together some of my personal passions. I appreciate, and have a deep understanding of, agriculture. I appreciate being very creative, and I think this particular position demands a lot of creative problem-solving skills that I’m able to utilize in everyday conversations with our clients to solve whatever creative problem they come to us with.?

Question: How does working for a woman-owned business differ from other businesses where you’ve worked?

Courtney: This is the first woman-owned business that I’ve worked at. All of the businesses that I’ve been at previously were male-dominated and male-owned. I think working at Blank Page differs in the diversity of the people who work here, and that runs the gamut from age to race to gender, and it also runs the gamut of different personalities. I think it opens the door for diversity and it also allows us to have a more diverse team to better serve our clients, who are also very diverse. As more women join agriculture companies and organizations, we’re definitely working with more women than we were 10 years ago in my past agency experience.

Question: What advice would you give to young women entering the workforce?

Courtney: Be genuinely yourself. That is what I see as being the most successful for women and men in the workforce. But in the agricultural space, no one’s going to call you on your BS faster than a farmer/producer, because it’s a straightforward business. And in being genuine and being yourself, if you don’t know the answer, just say you don’t know the answer. If you’re going to go find the answer, then say that’s what you’re going to do. But, trying to pretend to be someone you’re not doesn’t bode well for your own success. Just be genuine and be yourself and that will probably get you the farthest.

Well said, Courtney!