Your mother, Gerri Hayes, built Office Pavilion into the third-largest women-owned business in the state. What do you feel was her greatest asset to the company before you took over as owners in 2016?

L: Intelligence, tenacity and fairness. Our mom is one of the most intelligent people I know, and she is extremely fair in making sure people get what they earn. I think being a woman in business made her want to champion women because she saw how they were paid less and taken advantage of in other companies. It doesn’t mean she was easy to work for, but if you worked hard for her, she was very loyal to you.

W: She was fearless in going after different types of business and exploring new territories. This and the great people we have in the company are what allowed us to grow into what we are today.

What strengths or vision do you bring to the table in your capacity as principals of the company and how are they similar or different from your mother’s? 

W: You really have to care about your employees, your customers and your community. My strength is in building relationships inside and outside the company and really working to nurture and grow the employees. I think I am able to maintain growth and encourage people within the company to grow in a slower, more patient way. Gerri was very much a visionary and had much more urgency, which was needed in the early stages. We are similar in many ways, but I had the benefit of watching and learning from her mistakes and hopefully using that knowledge to guide my management style. Gerri had to do it pretty much on her own, without a role model.

L: I think our vision is very similar because she instilled her morals in us. Taking care of our people is paramount, which means always fixing whatever mistakes we make and being honest with our customers, employees and business partners. Wendy and I are just a bit more laid back in our approach to people than Gerri was.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?

W: That this too shall pass. I really try to remain calm in every situation and know that no matter how stressful something is, I probably won’t remember it in a year, so it isn’t worth getting worked up over. The most difficult lesson was learning how to treat people—that they are more important in the end than anything else. When I get too focused on the business part of it—the “results”—I can lose sight of the people. I work really hard to temper that.

Do you think women lead differently
than men?

W: I think women tend to question their abilities in leadership, and this holds them back. I also notice that many feel they have to change their leadership style to succeed. Overall I think women tend to be more nurturing, more empathetic to family commitments and more willing to slow down and listen. But I think everyone is changing their leadership style to adapt to the changing workplace.

Is there a quote you live by? 

L: It will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end.