Episode 106: ‘Diversity of Think’ with Dena and Thea
In this episode:
Christi Powell and Angela Gardner engage with Dena Cordova Jack and Thea Dudley, founders of Women of LBM (WLBM), to discuss their roles and initiatives focused on uplifting women in the lumber and building materials (LBM) industry. They delve into the celebration and outcomes of Women in Construction Week, sharing personal experiences and highlighting the importance of mentorship, diversity, and community in fostering career advancement for women in traditionally male-dominated fields. The discussion also covers the significance of WLBM's efforts toward providing education, leadership skills, and networking opportunities for women in the industry. Dena and Thea share their career journeys, the motivation behind WLBM, and advice for women aiming to enter or progress within the LBM sector. This podcast underscores the transformative impact of diversity and mentorship in driving innovation and growth while inviting listeners to engage with WLBM's mission and resources.
Supported by: WTC Forum, Aline Capital, and Hill Electric
Show Notes and Links:
WLBM - Website
Thea Dudley - Linkedin
Thea Dudley - Book on Amazon
Thea Dudley - Facebook
Dena Cordova-Jack - Linkedin
Dena Cordova-Jack - Instagram
Dena Cordova-Jack - X (formerly Twitter)
00:00 Welcome to the Women Talk Construction Podcast
00:10 Introducing the Women of LBM
01:11 Celebrating Women in Construction Week
04:46 The Founding and Mission of WLBM
12:00 Diversity and Innovation in the Lumber Industry
17:21 Advice for Women in Construction and Lumber
21:39 Connecting with WLBM and Closing Thoughts
About Thea:
Thea Dudley is a credit management veteran in the building materials and construction industry. In her over three decades of work as a credit and collections officer, Thea Dudley has trekked across deserts to recover goods, taken FBI interrogation classes to learn negotiators “tells” and suffered through more lame reasons for extending credit than she can count. She knows how to decide who is worthy of credit and how to go after those who abuse the privilege. From her early days “working” in her Dad’s subcontracting business, she quickly moved into the power seat of the business: granting credit and collecting the money.
Thea has spent her career working across credit departments of manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, contractors, and subcontractors, from large corporations to her husband’s family lumber business, working in and leading every size credit department from solo to nationwide credit teams, to improve cash flow for both the company and the customer. Formerly Vice President of Financial Services at two major material distributors, she has trained hundreds of credit managers, sales reps, and presidents to use the credit department as a business partner.
Thea is an inspiring leader and coach who promotes the philosophy that credit and sales can profitability co-exist. She specializes in building strong credit people and teams by considering the entire order to cash process, creative thinking, and the business as a whole. She is a national speaker, author, columnist, and at her very core, a credit professional. You can learn more about her views on all things credit and collections on various podcasts including Bradley Hartman’s Behind Your Back Podcast, The Roofers Show Podcast, LBM Journal’s WebEx series, her popular LBM Credit Q&A column, Credit Management Education Series at Levelset, and many others. Her debut book: “The Credit Overlords’ Guide to Credit and Collections” is available on Amazon.
About Dena:
Passionate about organizational development and setting companies up for success.
A solid People Strategy is paramount to achieving any operational goal.
Servant Leadership is foundational for a positive company culture.
Be a part of the solution - together, we can change the world!
