Women Leading Innovation: Celebrating International Women's Day

Happy International Women’s Day! In our first feature of a two-part series, meet a few of the women that make our website what it is. With a product catalog of over 400,000 items and our website serving as the backbone of our e-commerce business, there is a lot to maintain, update, and constantly improve. These women work in our development, content, and media teams. Their diverse talents and unwavering commitment are integral to our continued success.? ?

In this article, we’re featuring:?

Julie Dodd , Software QA Manager 1?

Vasilia Kambouroglos, CFSP , Content Manager?

Rachel (Stellhorn) McClosky , Lead Photographer?

Thelma Flowers , QA Team Lead 1 ?

Can you share a memorable moment or achievement in your career journey??

Julie: When I was a software QA consultant, one of my projects was to help a large manufacturing company bring to fruition an SAP implementation.? This was a huge, multi-year undertaking. My team of on-site leads, remote leads, and near shore testers did an outstanding job, but it was definitely challenging.? The last month and a half were especially brutal as we worked 70-hour weeks to ensure the Go Live was on time and successful, which it was. The client was thrilled with the outcome, and although I hope never again to experience anything like those final 6 weeks, I was very pleased and proud of the work our team accomplished.? ?

Lia: A memorable moment was the transition from Senior Marketing Coordinator to Content Manager. The opportunity to lead the team and continue to grow together has been an important and inspiring part of my career journey.

Rachel: A memorable achievement for me would be when I was promoted to a Lead position a couple years ago. I've spent about 8 years total at WebstaurantStore between an internship and full-time positions, so I've seen a ton of exciting change and growth during my time here. I was so happy to be recognized as someone who was able to take on all of those experiences and changes over the years and adapt and grow myself to further my career in a senior position.?

Thelma: When the VP of my previous company asked me to build up a “Global Technical Sales Support” team. This led me to travel around the world and learn about different business cultures, languages, and people.

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If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would you say??

Julie: Relax and enjoy the ride. Life is a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns, dips, and detours, and all of them are designed to make you who you are meant to be. Stop trying to set your route in stone before you even leave the driveway. Some of the greatest roads you will travel will be ones you never planned, so buckle up and embrace the adventure ahead! (P.S. Spend infinitely less time worrying about stuff because 90% of it will never happen!)????

Lia: I would say change can be a very good thing. Don’t be afraid of it. You won’t always feel ready, but take the leap anyway.??

Rachel: Oh, I would definitely tell my younger self to be your biggest advocate, and don't be afraid to be confident and speak up! There are so many areas in life, both personally and professionally, that it can feel scary to voice your opinion or share what you need... but at the end of the day, you owe it both to you and others around you to stand up for yourself. When you do, you will be so thankful to yourself because you'll see so many positive results and it will lead to so much growth. ??

Thelma: Life is not easy; you have to work hard to get where you want to be.??

What’s a personal goal you have for 2024??

Julie: I love to travel, and one item that has been on my bucket list for years is visiting New Zealand. Well, this is the year I get to cross it off the list! My daughter will be graduating from college in a couple of months, so we are planning to celebrate her accomplishment with a trip to “Aotearoa.” I can’t wait!

Lia: A personal goal for 2024 is to be more intentional with my time. This can look like less scrolling on my phone or spending more quality time with family and friends to be present in the moment.?

Rachel: A personal goal I have for myself this year is to get back into regular hiking. Being in nature has been a big part of my life since I was a child, and it's so important to spend time in it. Things have been a bit crazy in the last couple of years, and I haven't been able to make it as much of a priority as I'd like. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state, and it feels like there is a never-ending list of trails in and around us to explore, so I'm looking forward to visiting a lot of them this year!

Thelma: Never stop learning – hoping to learn more automation testing and help transition my team to full QA automation first.