RISING STARS: Veronica Stinnette
Veronica Stinette
Distribution Sales Manager
FH Sales
To gain better insight into how professionals in the electronics industry have turned challenges into opportunities to ensure continued growth, The Representor interviewed Veronica Stinnette, distribution sales manager, at FH Sales.
Stinette shared, among other things, how she entered this industry from a chance encounter while working as an Uber driver!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself, personally and professionally.
I was born in a southwest Chicago suburb and moved to St. Louis in 2015. I attended college at Southeastern University in Florida (yes, I miss the weather), but I love living in a state with all the seasons to enjoy. I love being outside more than being inside and love to hike, swim, golf, and camp. I also am a book girl and gym girl — those are my two favorite hobbies, outside of watching the Cubs during baseball season. I have three children, two girls and a boy, and consider myself a soccer mom. I started in the industry after meeting the previous owner of Spectrum Sales (now FH Sales) while I was driving for Uber on the weekends. After our ride, he offered me his card and the rest was history. I was quite literally a personality hire, a young woman with no industry experience with just the ability to make small talk. I’m grateful for the risk they took in hiring me in 2019. I started as outside sales and moved into the distribution role in 2021.
How long have you worked in the electronics industry?
I was hired in December 2019, right before the pandemic hit. I was on board for about 6 months in a mostly lockdown state when we became FH Sales, under the Mel Foster Company. I just reached my 6-year anniversary!
What made you choose this industry as your current career path?
The people make the industry. As a people person, I thoroughly enjoy interacting with and building relationships with a diverse group of people and personalities. I am always challenged out in the field while learning from industry veterans, engineers and distributors, and I love learning.
What are some of the main challenges you have encountered as you embark on your career journey?
I think being a young person and a woman, both of which are less present in this industry, is challenging in and of itself. I feel encouraged to see that the industry is shifting to find some younger talent! Another challenge that I think everyone feels is AI. While I’m not a huge proponent of AI, it is becoming a necessity in the industry, and learning how, when and why of its uses is something I’ve been struggling with — as well as how to interact with customers, distributors and other industry partners who are fully utilizing it.
What steps have you taken to overcome these challenges and ensure that you can establish and nurture a successful career?
One thing that I think everyone should be doing, and what I do, is constantly re-evaluate myself and ask, “What am I doing now and how can I add more value?” I ask myself this about my team, customers, distributors and supplier partners. I want to become as knowledgeable as possible and establish myself as a young woman in the industry. As far as AI, MFC Group does an amazing job in keeping all of their companies trained and as up-to-date as possible on everything AI. We have access to trainings as often as we like, and our leadership updates us on new ways to use AI in our daily interactions.
What are some training tools or networking/ industry events that you have found beneficial to your professional growth?
FH Sales operates under the Mel Foster Company Group umbrella and MFC Group has offered some amazing training tools over the years. We have had Sam Richter come to speak about AI, we have had company sales training with Tim Wackel, and we are about to start reading a sales book as a company for continuing education.
Outside of that, my local ERA chapter, the Spirit of St. Louis chapter, has been an amazing networking tool since I started in the industry. I’ve grown so much just by listening to the veterans and asking questions. They’ve given me room to grow, including making me president of our chapter. Networking events with suppliers and distributors, like EDS, have been pivotal to my growth in the industry. They have taught me how to pivot due to last-minute changes, speak with diverse groups of people and make the time to build lasting relationships.
Do you think that there is enough new talent entering the electronics industry? What could make this field more attractive to young professionals?
As I briefly addressed, I do think there has been a shift in the last couple of years in recruiting younger talent. I think in order to get more recruitment, we need to make the industry more known. Previous to my Uber encounter, I didn’t know this industry existed, and I hear that same type of story from a lot of people who didn’t grow up in the industry. I would love to see more manufacturers’ reps at college job fairs or even college engineering trade shows. This is a lot of room for growth here.
Where do you see your profession and the industry 10 to 20 years from now?
I would love to continue to grow in the distribution role and eventually take over for my mentor, Ed Thurmes, who is the director of distribution for MFC Group.
Professionally, what keeps you up at night?
Is keeping up with reports the right answer? Kidding…mostly. No, I think that evaluating myself keeps me up at night – e.g., did I reach out to this person today? How is my relationship with that person? I need to work on this relationship with this supplier or distributor. Where is the gap here and how can I fix it? Evaluating myself, my position and being vulnerable about where I’m at professionally helps me grow the most.