“Make friendships here and use them here to propel
yourself to greater success,” Germer said.
Lunch presentation. United Rentals sponsored lunch
and recognized its 10 attendees. Stacy Irons, district sales
manager of United Rentals Trench Safety, showed a corporate video about her company’s efforts to boost women
in their careers through targeted company outreach and
involvement.
“Women matter, right? And they’re a big part of our com-
pany,” Irons said. “They’re encouraging us to make that next
step in our career path.”
Irons explained that three years into her 12-year career
at United Rentals, she was offered a promotion in Southern
California. She was young, from Iowa, lived in Denver
and knew no one in Southern California. It was a dif;cult
decision, she said. But while out on a run, she got a call
from the regional vice president. He had called to tell her
personally why he believed she was right for
the promotion and ready.
“He totally believed in me, and that made
me believe in myself,” Irons said. “It really
kicked off my career path, and so that made
me believe in myself.”
Since then, Irons has relocated ;ve times,
each for a promotion.
“If you continue to believe in yourself and
you continue to take that step and you have
a company that’s supporting you, you can get
there,” she said.
Irons encouraged women who seek advancement to ask
their leaders what their next roles are and make it clear they
seek advancement.
PEI Women panel: “Here I Am.” Three PEI Women
told their career stories to the audience and Germer, who
moderated. Panelists were:
• Liz Concannon, vice president of operations at Petroleum
Card Services.
• Gina Jaimes, project manager at McCon Building and
Petroleum Services Inc.
• Louisa Magallanes, purchasing and inventory specialist at
C&L Pump Service Inc.
Magallanes, who has a degree in nursing from Arizona
State University, said she was just helping out at the family
business. Her father started the company after he lost his job.
“We all stayed because of the family and potential for
growth,” she said. “I was thrown into a lion’s den … Google
was my friend — my best friend.”
Jaimes said she started out as a single mother with two
young kids.
“I wanted to learn everything I could about underground
storage tanks,” she said.
Jaimes said she’s grateful for all the teachers in the industry.
“I met Maggie (Lawson) at NACS and thought, ‘Who is
this kid, and how does she know so much about gasoline?’”
Concannon explained how she came to the industry,
where she’s been for 27 years.
“I can’t imagine myself doing anything different,” she said.
“Every day I learn something new or I remember something I
forgot.”
Stacy Irons shares how United Rentals develops women leaders.
Speaker Fawn Germer moderates a panel with Gina Jaimes, Liz Concannon and Louisa Magallanes. r M
