By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) has named Heidi Fleming, vice president at Distinctive Details, Inc., as the network's newest #SheIsSEMA spotlight member.
Get to know Fleming in her interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: How many years have you been with your current company and what do you enjoy most about working there?
Heidi Fleming: I have been with our company for four years now. I most enjoy seeing our employees take pride in the products that we manufacture. It is so rewarding to see how much our employees care about our products and our customers.
SEMA: What is the most challenging part of running your business or job?
HF: Like most businesses, the challenge our business has faced in the last few years is supply, but we have great relationships with our vendors, so we have always been able to find a way to get the supplies that we need to remain fully stocked for our customers.
SEMA: How many years have you been in the industry and what was your first industry job?
HF: My first job was working in the warehouse of our family's car care products business. I was in grade school, and it was a great introduction to the business. I was filing, labeling and putting together battery pads. After college, I worked for six years with automotive software for dealership service departments. I suppose you can say I've been in the industry for almost my whole life.
SEMA: What are three qualities that got you to where you are today?
HF: I think I am a good listener and observer which has allowed me to learn from others. I am patient and I am persistent, which has allowed me to find solutions to succeed.
SEMA: Being a woman in the industry, what have been your biggest challenges and accomplishments?
HF: I think the biggest challenge about being a woman in the industry is being trusted as a qualified resource. I think as long as you have the confidence to use your voice, any woman can succeed.
SEMA: Who are your role models or mentors in the industry?
HF: My mother and my aunt are my role models in the industry. They have worked in the industry for over four decades. I have learned so much from their experiences and I try to absorb any story, words of wisdom or expertise that they have shared with me over the years. They are still our mentors to this day, and we are always bouncing ideas off them.
SEMA: What is the best career advice you have received?
HF: The best career advice that I ever received was "make your own luck." I have always interpreted this as you have to put the work in to get the results that you want. You are the master of your destiny.
SEMA: Have you always wanted to work in the automotive industry? What keeps you here?
HF: When I was young, I intended to avoid the industry in which my entire family was involved in, however, my roots pulled me "home" and I am grateful to be here. What keeps me here is our customer base who inspire me daily with their growing businesses.
SEMA: Who was the most influential person on your career/goals?
HF: My mother has been the most influential person in my career. She's the hardest-working person I know, and she has taught me values that I keep close to my heart as a female business owner, mother and wife. She has always had a winning mentality that has inspired me to find a way in any situation.
Fill out a #SheIsSEMA spotlight form to submit a self-nomination or nominate a colleague and highlight how you or she is contributing to the specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are automatically eligible to be considered for SBN's #SheIsSEMA Woman of the Year award, featured on SBN's social media, SEMA News and recognized on the sema.org/she-is-sema website.
