Good afternoon, everyone. Cameron here from the WOFB podcast, principal and owner of Cameo Studio Designs, hostess with the mostest, right? Today, I am so excited, you guys. I am live recording from the Metro Lighting Showroom here in Brentwood, St. Louis. If you are in St. Louis or you are in the shopping for lighting, You guys, you have to check out Metro Lighting in St. Louis. All of their showrooms, they have the best of the best light fixtures that you can imagine. Today, I'm super excited. I'm meeting with someone on the complete opposite side of the country as I'm in the belly button of the U.S. today, but I'm meeting with someone today from California. You're going to be so, so excited to hear her story, to hear what she's all about in the industry that she's in. But first, The podcast is presented by the WOFB and it is sponsored by my company, Cameo Studio Designs, which is known for the CEU designer dopamine and lighting all thing and tile stone floor spaces. We're also sponsored by Moxie Hotel in St. Pete for our regular space where we showcase our podcast out of St. Pete. That hotel, if you are looking for a space to stay in St. Pete or across the country, look at the Marriott Moxie Hotels. In addition, Lattercree is a sponsor of the WOFB podcast. And if you are looking to dive into a project, look no further because we are shining a spotlight today on Lattercree that is synonymous for their brand of quality and innovation. If you're planning your next tiling project or tackling a big renovation, ensure a successful installation each and every time with the most comprehensive assortment of innovation tile and stone materials available, not just nationwide, worldwide, guys. LATICRE is the industry-leading company with products that offers complete system solutions from substrate, all the way up to the grout in virtually any type of project. So look no further for your adhesive grout and waterproofing needs. Today, we are kicking off season three. We are on episode two or three of season three. I didn't remember, but it's all about breaking boundaries. Women shaping the future of tile, flooring, stone, design, architect, lighting, for God's sakes. All of those genres, anything that is in our concentration of work, but women who have been innovative in our industry, we push the limits. We know what's possible. We lead in areas like sustainability, like I've talked about. We lead in areas of design, technology, business, and growth. Super, super important. As a commercial tile installer, I know that that growth is very important. And so that's why I love to meet with women like I'm talking to today who are showroom owners, who can really dive into and explore their unique approaches to leadership and also how they're driving change in a traditional male-dominated industry. I think today, whenever we talk to Vanessa Gonzalez from Dura Flooring, she is Latino. She is from West Coast. Her mother started this company, I believe it was in the late seventies, but we're going to talk more about her as she is a woman who is dedicated to transforming spaces with high quality flooring solutions. And Vanessa, I know she's going to have a story for me about breaking boundaries in this male-dominated industry. Again, I cannot wait to talk to her. You guys, welcome Vanessa to the stage. Hi. Hi. Thank you so much for having me, Cameron. So excited. Oh, my gosh. We do. I'm so excited that Michelle was able to connect me with you as soon as she started telling me about who you are, what your family is all about, who your mom was, the role that you play. I don't want to spill the beans. I am so excited to hear about your story. So tell me, so Dura Flooring, you guys are in the West Coast, California. Tell me about the showroom, kind of like where you guys are today. Yeah. So we are definitely a couple of different segments. We do cash and carry. We do installation. With installations, we do everything. Builders, commercial, retail, Costco flooring. So We do a lot of different segments here. I feel like here in the L.A. market, it's hot and busy. So we like all kinds of business. But yeah, my mom started this business in nineteen eighty six. Oh, my God. She's been thriving. She's amazing. She's still working here with us. She's my mentor. She's a bad boss. And oh, I love her. Yeah. Tell me, I've read something not I don't want to like dissect your story too much. But did I read somewhere that she started the business? Was it in a garage somewhere? Yes. So actually, she worked for a GC before she started this business. And when she was when the GC found that she was pregnant, he fired her. So that gave her so much fire in her. She was like, you know what, I'm going to start my own business. And she actually started bringing in carpet rolls in her garage. So that's the start of that. Oh, my gosh, I love this. So fast forwarding from the early eighties to now. She's still in the business. You guys are still in operation. Tell me a little bit about Dura Flooring Store, your location. And you guys are in Los Angeles. What area are you in? Yeah. So we're actually right outside of downtown LA. So we get a little bit of OC, a little bit of West LA. So we're right in the middle. We love it. We have a very big market here. And it's been really, really fun. All these changes. LA is definitely a big, big city. Um, so we, we love it though. Absolutely. And so at what age can you remember like flooring and at what age did you really get started? Oh, I remember working here in the summer part-time thinking I wanted to be a veterinarian. This was when I was like and I just started seeing, you know, uh, my mom's employees, you know, couple of them slack in a couple of them. I was like, you know, I think I can do this. I think I could do a little better too. So I started putting myself up for that challenge. And so that was when I was so I've been working here for, yeah, for, for many years. And, and I really worked my way up though. I really wanted to earn everything here. I wanted to know every employee. I wanted to learn everything ins and outs of this business. So I definitely didn't just, you know, right off the bat became manager. So, yeah, it's been great. Yeah, no, for sure. If only it worked that way. If only it was that simple. Right. So so where you are now, do you guys do more commercial or residential work? We do fifty fifty with our cash and carry and installations. Good fifty fifty. We love commercial, but we also love helping homeowners finding their dream floors. But yeah, we love both. We do fifty fifty. Okay. That's good for me to know then. Um, as far as like leadership in business growth, what leadership strategies have been most effective for you in growing Dura flooring? And can you maybe share some specific moments where your leadership style was maybe tested? Yeah. Um, so my leadership has changed many times. I've tried so many different things. I failed. I made a lot of mistakes. Um, And I feel like every year I definitely want to top it off and be better and better and better. I feel like maybe some mistakes I've probably had were probably just getting too emotionally too into it. You know, I just need to take a step back. You know, these employees are, you know, maybe they're having a good day. And, you know, and at the end of the day, it is just a job. And, you know, what helped me and figure it out is really doing one to ones. Um, it's very, very tedious, but that's honestly like my biggest solution is one-to-ones with every single employee. Um, so yes, as long as it's like ten minutes, you know, ten minutes or an hour, especially salespeople. But everyone, I like to figure out, okay, what's going on, you know, hold them accountable. And, um, it really has helped. Yeah. Okay, great. And is that something that you've seen from watching your mom in her leadership role do? And so you're emulating that, or is that something that you've kind of created on your own? Yeah, I feel like in a sense it is. She hasn't really had a lot of time to do one-to-ones, but whenever there's an issue of an employee, she has that open door policy. So really, I've just Like, I'm always telling her, like, you have this vision. Now let me put that action to it. Let me, you know, make that happen. So she's always like, oh, I wonder what's going on with this employee. And I'm like, don't worry, I'll figure it out. I'll get it done. So it's really helped balance that. And she's really, she's really guided me in that sense. Yeah. Oh, that's so great to have, like, that type of leadership. And, you know, it's one thing when you have leadership from, like, a mentor maybe that you've met in, like, a company or someone that you, you know, look up to. But, like, profound, girl. Like, this is your mama. Like, that is so amazing. I love that so much. I would love to have her on actually sometime, too. That would be incredible. Yes. Oh, yeah. She can have a book. Oh, my gosh. She has so many stories of how she has gone through so much and still, like, fight for this business. And really, like, her passion is for the employees and their families and customers. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. Yeah. She's amazing. That's what the true entrepreneur spirit is. not only do you have to maintain the brick and mortar, not only do you have to maintain the relationships of all the reps, all the people and materials, but what I found with a lot of women, and this has been a very common theme, but a lot of women talk about the hands. Like I interviewed and talked with Georgia Ezra from Ezra Tiles out of Australia several weeks ago. And the thing that was so impactful and you guys share kind of that same similar story was for her. It was all about her employees, the people of the hands that touch the tile. Those are the people that are so important for her business. And as an entrepreneur, if you are not well sound and really have a great foundation with your company employees and where they all are, you know, that starts to fall apart. So I love that you that you brought that up. That's such a beautiful thing. And with that, I feel like getting, I'm so sorry, with getting with like the employees, it's like always like, it's never, you know, an ending story. It's always trying to find the perfect people for your company. And it's really, really hard, but it's definitely something that we always strive for, finding people that fit our team. Yeah. Absolutely. And you know those people, you know, innately. As a business owner, you know, and, you know, I'm around entrepreneurs all the time. And when there's one bad seed or one bad apple, like that energy spreads and you're just like, what is happening? Oh, you're the issue. You know, so I'm sure that there's we could talk about that kind of stuff all day long. So as far as design and technology with the lighting industry, with the tile industry, materials, all of that is changing. And I've been to a lot of the trade shows. And so I'm very familiar with vinyl. My company actually lays MVP, which is magnetic vinyl planks. And then like Alice and Eden does vinyl planks that have screen print of like design and some really fun things that are happening in the industry, your industry. So with the theme of. technology and design becoming more integrated into hardwood surfaces, into vinyl planking. How has Duraflooring adapted to these advancements? And are there any tools or new trends that excite you? Oh my goodness. Well, I'm a huge flooring nerd. Anybody that knows me, I love going to the conventions, buying new things and seeing what the new new is. I mean, everything is so advanced now that like it's of course flooring is going to be right. The visuals, first of all, is amazing. I am just like so grateful like that I got to remodel my house and get some new like, you know, all these beautiful visuals. But yeah, I feel like what's trending is definitely that new innovative thing, you know, that new, you know, benefit, that new advantage for someone in their home and business. And, and, and I still feel like design trend over here in LA, blondes are still the way to light browns, neutrals, topes. Like it's definitely still a hit over here. I love it. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely classic neutral. It's easy. But but yeah, I'm so excited to see what twenty twenty five convention brings. But I am loving all this new, innovative things and products and flooring. One of the things that I love too is like with the flooring and all of the changes and even lighting is like, I talked about this several weeks back with Rachel Morty from, she's actually in the San Diego area, but she talks all about color drenching for So just a little nugget there, even though with the change of what the pandemic did with people, we were very comfortable with, like you said, those neutral colors. And so we saw a lot of that in the lighting industry is everything used to be very linear. Okay. And now you see this timeless piece behind me, even the edges are softer. everything is becoming almost like an embracing, bulbous, soft look. And that's what the pandemic did for people was they wanted to design in their home where they had that embracement from their own environment because they weren't getting that outside of the environment. So I love that you touched on everything is still timeless. Everything is still classic from the design perspective. So what about any new ideas let's see, I wanted to talk, oh, tools, tools that are coming out in your industry. Have you guys seen anything that's like new, like cool tools that are coming out for flooring? To be honest, the biggest impact in that sense for installation, I would say is probably like the more advanced adhesives, you know, the more advanced moisture barriers, all these things that have to go hand in hand with all these new products, right? So that I feel like has made a big impact over here in terms of that. And I'm all for it. Like, you know, caustics, row code, all kinds of new moisture barriers and all that. We love Latakia around here. Yeah. that's a big issue here a lot of moisture problems and oh yeah a lot of concrete I'm absolutely sure of that I live in Florida so um with with all of the rain and the constant influx of just the moisture with sand and oh yeah we could talk we could have a whole episode on that too yeah um So let's just hop in. One little thing that I wanted to also bring up with you is women in leadership and innovation. So the theme of this podcast in this season focuses on women shaping the future. How do you see your role and influence as a woman leader impacting the direction of the flooring industry? Well, I really want to inspire younger women to continue climbing the ladder in this industry. When I first started, it was, it was a little bit of buzzkill. It really was. It, I felt like, you know, I really had to, you know, get all these people to trust me and really know that I'm trying to make an impact and try to create all these new ideas. And my mom was, oh my God, my biggest, you know, support and everything. But it's, it's definitely something that I wish, you know, I had more confidence when I was younger and I really wish I just didn't hold back voice, like every intention. So I definitely feel like I want to continue that. I want to influence more, you know, younger women to keep, cause I actually, um, the more conventions I'm going to, I actually seeing like, you know, me, um, you know, ten, ten, twelve years ago, you know, girls who are, you know, following their parents' footsteps, want to continue on in the business. And, you know, I want them to be inspired by all these women, you know, in these podcasts and networks. And I really wish, like, I had that, you know, confidence back then. So I definitely want, I'm so excited for all that we're doing and all that we're spreading, all this love and empowerment. So it's exciting. Yeah. Can you remember a time when you were working in the industry and for the first time you're like, you stood in your power and maybe surprised yourself that you were able to be the Vanessa that has evolved into the Vanessa today? Do you remember a moment like that? Oh yeah. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like that happens to people when there's like a big setback, right? A big failure or a problem. But my mom got cancer two years ago. And it was right when COVID hit. She was going through chemo radiation. And unfortunately, that's when I made my big impact in the company. I really stepped it up. I really built that confidence. I had to. I had to help. I had to take over the business while she was going through all that. So it wasn't easy. It was really difficult. Yeah. So I feel like that would be a specific moment in time where I really... like, grew and became the leader that I'm familiar with. Oh, my gosh. And so your mom is healthy now? She's in remission? Yes, she's in remission. We actually celebrated this year, five years. Oh, my gosh. Yes, I'm always saying to my coworkers, employees, I'm like, count your blessings. Because, I mean, I get acclaimed here and there. And, you know, but I definitely count my blessings because all these issues, I mean, sometimes they're a little small, you know, they're always going to be issues where we're rocking it in construction. So this is a remodeling construction business. So unfortunately, we're going to see the ugly, the bad, but I definitely always try to count my blessings. Right. I have a rule of thumb that I tell my gals when they start getting upset and on a job in general, as I say, there's no crying in lighting. There's no crying in tile. I love that. So how, you know, working with your mom, working with women in the industry, What is maybe someone or that you can think of as of a time of how you kind of pay it forward to other women, maybe kind of looking to break into the industry? Well, actually, I'm so glad that you asked this because I am part of a newly woman network that is launching very, very soon. It was just announced actually recently. So Shaw has SFN dealers. And they allowed us to start a woman's network within their dealers. So I'm part of the council and I am so honored and blessed to be part of it. I'm just so blessed. I get to see all of these new networks, all these women supporting other women. And I can't wait to see how it's going to look next year. It's called Power. So Michelle... I know Michelle Winters, um, has been, um, I just started coaching with her and she's been, um, you know, my biggest support and, you know, figuring out like, you know, how I can help other women. Um, and, and literally just the woman and just in this company, I, every woman here has a voice and, um, they've, they've, they've been supporting me. So I feel like, In this male dominated industry, it's really nice to see in the last couple of years, this growth of women empowering other women. So it's so exciting. Oh my gosh, that's so amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. We'll have to touch more on another episode with your role with Shaw and your role with this new found board position and all of those great things. There's so much of this like ramping up and opening up. I just actually started the whole, it's called Wild, which is women in lighting plus design out of the chapter of Florida. So it's global. It's huge in Florida. And now we have thirteen women that are all lighting designers for architects, for linear lighting. And so we do a lot of hospitality and commercial design work. And so I love now that there's another one starting. So every week I hear of all of like board positions and groups that are being opened up. So that that's super exciting. So as far as sustainability and the future for Dura, for Dura flooring, what steps do you guys take towards sustainability and how important is that? Do you think to your clients in the commercial space versus residential? Yeah. So, you know, in California, it's very, very eco-friendly, high sustainability here. I do see a lot of our clientele not as interested. I do see here and there, but I do see more commercial, more sustainability and eco-friendly than our retail sign. Right. Yeah. We like to be informed by the Shaw contract, gives us PKs. We like to know what products are the go-to. So we like to be informed. Our sales team is informed, making sure our customers are informed, and they learn about how to be more eco-friendly. And California makes it very easy. There's a lot of standards. Even our glues are special to just California. Wow. Yes. It's definitely a state where it does make it a little more difficult. A lot of products are more expensive in that sense. But I do see commercially it's coming up. It's coming up more. Oh, my gosh. That's so amazing. Well, I am so excited that I got to talk to you today. What are all of your socials, Vanessa, that people in our industry can find you? So we have the DuraFlooring.com. And then are you guys on Instagram? Are you on Facebook? Is it, what are all your feet? Instagram is Dura Flooring Inc. And I believe Facebook as well. Yeah. Inc. I-N-C. I-N-C. Amazing. Okay. So here you can, oh, no, not that one. Here we go. Instagram is Dura Flooring Inc. And so anyone looking for sustainability, anyone looking to support a small business in the Los Angeles area for vinyl plank, for hardwood floor, and then you guys do installation as well. Yes, yes. Thank you so much. Yes, follow me. Yeah, follow her. So Vanessa, thank you so much. I look forward to meeting you, I'm sure, in more of the groups for the WOFB. Yes, I'll be seeing you around. Yeah, we're so thankful to have you. So thanks for joining me today. Thank you, Cameron. You take care. It was my pleasure. You take care. All right, you too. Bye-bye. Guys, how exciting is this? Just like Vanessa, you can go to the womenflooring.com if you are looking for mentorship or if you just want to be a part of the conversation. join women like Vanessa and myself, where you get coach, you have a group, you have that camaraderie of women. Also, if you are looking to be a sponsor for the podcast, send an email or go to podcast at women flooring.com. We still have room for sponsorships right now. You would be leaning up against pod or sponsorship like, essentially Moxie Hotel, Lada Cree, Cameo Studio Designs, and there's many, many more that are coming down the pipeline. Also, if you are looking for a CEU for your design or showroom, reach out to Cameo Studio Designs as I offer the CEU for designer dopamine, which is worth one credit. So if you want your company or your staff to learn more about lighting in your industry, let me know. Also, LATICRE.com. And you ask, why LATICRE? Everyone always wants to know why LATICRE. And that is because for over sixty five years, LATICRE has built a reputation tile by tile. Their products are globally proven and trusted by professionals, including myself, for their superior performance and ease of use. Whether you're working on a bathroom makeover, kitchen backsplash, or expansive commercial project like we do, Laticree offers installation solutions to make your vision come to life. From their ultra-reliable thinset adhesives and easy-to-apply waterproofing membranes to their durable, And stain-resistant grouts, they've got you covered. So check out LATICRE.com for all of your extensive needs. So W-O-F-B, you guys know to go there. Also, if you're looking for locations to stay while traveling, please check out moxiehotels.marriott as they're a sponsor for the WOFB for our showrooms. You guys, Metro Lighting here in St. Louis, you have got to check it out. You could also go to metrolighting.com. They have six or seven locations here in the state of Missouri, but they ship worldwide. So if you're looking for residential locations, or some commercial specifying for decorative lighting. Also, oh my gosh, they have all of these amazing, look at all of these little house things that you can get. How cute is this? They have books, they have home accessories, picture frames, lamps, you name it. This space is super awesome. So check out Metro Lightning. You guys, thank you so much. I look forward to seeing you our next episode. Bye.
