The Missing Piece

Women are a perfect fit for the print industry

Sometimes, it's actually mother who knows best. Just ask Stacy Peluso-Slaney, vice president of Danvers, Massachusetts-based Shawmut.

"Some of the best advice I ever got was from my mother—'Surround yourself with people who strive to be better in life.' That spirit is contagious," Peluso-Slaney recalled.

She did just that when she began her career in the printing industry.

Peluso-Slaney graduated from Endicott College in 1991 with a degree in graphic communications. In 1993, she joined the family business, Shawmut, as an account executive. Today, Peluso-Slaney serves as the company's vice president and is responsible for developing new clientele and managing marketing communications in support of Shawmut's sales department.

While traditionally dubbed "the ol' boys club," the printing industry never slowed down Peluso-Slaney. In fact, her experience has been rather positive.

"I have been very lucky to have worked with some really incredible men. Shawmut is a family-owned company and I am part of the third generation of Peluso's to have worked here. I can honestly say I never felt isolated and was received with respect from both co-workers and executives," she shared. "When I started at Shawmut, I was the only female print salesperson. However, I was not the first or the last. Currently, we have seven female salespeople and most of our top producers are female."

Peluso-Slaney's success doesn't stop there. She also is the first female in the Peluso family to be an active owner—a title that wasn't just handed to her.

"Like everyone, I started at the ground floor and had to prove my worth to move up in the company," she said. "I am competitive by nature and always felt the need to justify my existence. … Over the years, I have felt that I need to break all sales records in order to justify my role. These are the pressures I put on myself."

Peluso-Slaney's entrepreneurial spirit paid off when she made company history by selling the single largest job for the company. The project at hand—"sentence strip" inserts for a publishing company.

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