Tiffany Schroeder, 32
HR Manager
Werner Electric Supply
Tiffany started her career as an HR coordinator at Werner Electric Supply in 2013, immediately after graduating from UW-Green Bay. “Like many others, I ‘fell into’ this industry,” she recalled. “Werner was a secure company with a strong reputation. It’s truly been such an amazing journey! This industry is about relationships and innovation—all in which are aligned with my values.”
In the decade since her hire, Tiffany was promoted to an HR generalist, HR business partner, and HR manager (and HRBP). “The last two years have offered a record number of ‘learning opportunities,’ as we call them within my team,” she said when asked about challenges the industry is currently facing. “Of course, the supply chain issues combined with the tight job market have presented a variety of challenges. Internally, it’s been difficult on our teams to feel they are being effective in what they are most passionate about: serving our customers. As a distributor, not having product due to reasons outside of our control can be quite defeating for our employees. However, this has only made us more resilient and has stressed the importance of improving the things that are within our own circle of influence.
“In my role, I have had the pleasure of being the HR business partner to our operations business unit,” she continued. “Moving from a ‘resource’ to a ‘partner’ has allowed me to be in lockstep with leaders on a strategic level, attacking problems head on as one team! I have done a little bit of everything—including being a leading partner for a Retention Initiative within our RDC in which we interviewed 12 different employee groups and executed a large action plan based off employee feedback; serving on the Engagement Strategic Objective Team to improve a variety of things such as department collaboration with the goal of having the best possible alignment, proactiveness, and creativity in solving problems cross functionally; being a member of a steering committee that has implemented Werner’s very first ERG, WOW (Women of Werner) to inspire, empower, support, and provide professional and personal development for all women across the organization; and seeing org restructures through in order to better deliver on our mission of unwavering commitment to our customers, families, communities.”
Long term, Tiffany’s has her sights set on the C-suite “and potentially be an Executive Coach to keep me busy thereafter,” she said. “I have truly enjoyed how our HR team has been leveraged as a collaborative partner to other areas of the business and I am passionate about the HR space. However, I would be interested in further diversifying by skillset and business acumen by jumping over to operations at some point.”
Tiffany said she feels fortunate to have received impactful mentorship from two strong vice presidents, along with a handful of other leaders at Werner. “I feel confident I will continue to learn and grow within my current role through an accumulation of job experience, special project assignments, and serving on Strategic Objective Teams that focus on the top company initiatives,” she explained. “My rules of thumb have always been to never so ‘no’ to an opportunity, have a voice, stay genuine, and work hard.”
To someone just entering the industry, Tiffany has this advice: “Be sure to prioritize building understanding, trust, and relationships, but stay curious, stay hungry to always learn more, and challenge the status quo. With the tight competition of Amazon and others, it’s important to leverage the competitive advantage of having that trust and relationship, but it’s also crucial to have the knowledge to be proactive with creative solutions to stay relevant. Additionally, with this industry being such a tightknit network, be sure to create and maintain a positive personal brand as a professional.”
When she’s not working, Tiffany is spending time with her husband, Clint, and four-year-old twins, Thea and Oliver. “Before kids, work was my ‘baby,’ she laughed. “Nowadays, we enjoy camping, hunting, and spending time at our family cottage. I’m also passionate about health and fitness so feeling and being my best self means squeezing in that daily workout!”
Each year tED magazine recognizes 30 of the industry’s best and brightest under the age of 35. Please visit tedmag.com/30Under35 for nomination information and updates about the 2023 program. Questions can be sent to tED Editor Misty Byers at mbyers@naed.org.
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