A Woman’s Touch

Despite a male-dominated industry, women are making names for themselves

When Kim Dwyer was hired at Dayton, Ohio-based International Business Solutions Alliance, she was asked if she was prepared to handle "different personalities."

Dwyer, vice president of national account sales, who started with the company more than two years ago, learned quickly that every distributor has its own way.

"Some [distributors] have been in business for 30 or 40 years," she said. "The majority are men and they are used to dealing with men. So you have to adapt. You have to adapt to many different things. People from different geographical locations have different personalities. Distributors from New York have a different philosophy than those from the South. The way to succeed is to be patient and understanding. And I'm a big relationship-building person. Relationships are key."

Whether a salesperson, a vice president or a secretary, women say getting by in a male-dominated workforce, like the print industry, requires patience, persistence, intelligence, intuition and the ability to be a multi-tasker. Many women, not only in the print industry, are starting and running their own company, having taken on leadership roles and thriving in their careers.

And, the facts back it up. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprised 46.8 percent of the total U.S. labor force and are projected to account for 46.9 percent of the labor force in 2018. The largest percentage of employed women (40 percent) worked in management, professional and related occupations; 32 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 21 percent in service occupations; 5 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations; and 1 percent in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations.

Here's something women can really be proud of: women accounted for 51 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional and related 
occupations, according to the labor statistics.

Vera Muzzillo, co-CEO of Independence, Ohio-based Proforma, is one of those women.

Muzzillo spent years working in the banking industry before joining her husband Greg, Proforma founder and co-CEO.

At the graphic communications and business solutions provider, she maximizes strategic development opportunities and provides comprehensive oversight to the banking, cash management, credit, financial, operations and technology aspects of the company.

The banking industry somewhat prepared her for the printing industry.

"It's challenging to work with your spouse," she joked. "Banking is an extremely male-dominated profession. So it wasn't too much of a stretch for me. And, I loved the print industry and helping people be successful business owners was even more fulfilling. There is nothing more exciting than taking control of your own business. The printing industry is so much a part of every organization across America. You really feel like you're making an impact."