Ingram's November 2022

Joy Johnson , COO-HR BLACK & VEATCH Like father, like…daughter? It does happen. And for small-town Alabama girl Joy Johnson, whose father was a retired teacher-turned-franchisee for H&R Block, tax-preparation services offered a glimpse into the ins and outs of running a business. But there was more steering her along: “My parents were both educators,” says Johnson. “My dad taught me to read by the time I was 5 years old, and high expectations to excel continued to be emphasized as I grew up. Hard work and education weren’t a choice.” Following her accounting degree at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, she made the bold move to Kansas City—where she knew no one but could align with a familiar organization: her father’s franchisor. From auditor to corporate accountant and through her CPA certification, she says, “the pursuit of excellence drove me to make life-altering decisions from a young age.” Along the way, she signed on with Black & Veatch, where she began to see things not simply

sector, she says, “this is the perfect opportunity for women to lean in and step up, and we’re seeing that happen. Our percentage of women engineers has grown significantly over the past couple of years after remaining flat for a number of years.” The company contributes that to a flexible/hybrid work environment,providingthe

Lindsey Lindemoen , Vice President THE ANDERSONS Lindsey Lindemoen, a chemist? Could have been, at one point. Dr. Lindemoen? Anothermight have been, but when shewas considering a career in medicine, a countervailing thought emerged: “If it didn’t work, what else was I going to do?” she says. So, after consultation with her father, she began to pursue an accounting degree, even though she admits now that accounting as a career “had no appeal tome.” Nomatter: While specific career pathways were many and varied, Lindemoen came pre-programmed for achievement and leadership wherever she went. For that, she cites the values instilled by her parents, whom she calls “excellent role models who showed us that commitment, hard work, and doing the right thing paid off.” The work-life balance was always there, she says, with family and vacations together as priorities, “but at the same time, they made sure we had a foundation with the church and regular community engagement through volunteering. My dad was an ambassador for Harvesters, and my mom was very hands-on, with a big heart, and volunteered frequently.” Armed with an accounting degree from Truman State University and, later, a master’s in accounting and information systems from KU, she began a trek through ever more-sophisticated finance roles. The first leg was with KPMG and then with the former Lansing Trade Group. At one point, LTG was one of the five biggest private companies in the region before merging with The Andersons, a diverse global agribusiness enterprise. As vice president responsible for international and strategy, Lindemoen says, a typical week might include “executing on our business plan to procure grain from Romania, overseeing our Swiss operations, and working with our leadership team to drive our growth strategy forward.” It’s a role that allows the Olathe native to flex her entrepreneurial interests, matching the company culture. She was initially attracted to the company because of what she calls “great energy” there. “The office has a buzz, there is rarely a day I come to work through numbers but through the people behind them. “When I finished my MBA at Baker University, I went back and took additional human-resources classes to obtain an emphasis in HR,” Johnson says. Her interest in HR began to develop as she gained responsibility for larger teams during 12 years in operations roles, and in 2015, Johnson moved into a full-time HR role for B&V’s largest global business unit. The quest to know was still strong in her, prompting her certification in that niche. “It’s always been important to me,” she says, “to make sure I had the technical capability and knowledge needed to lead a function which is why I’m a proponent of certifications in the field you are leading.” And within that new space, Johnson has benefitted from years of number-crunching. “Understanding the numbers is a huge blessing in HR,” she says. “First, it gives you credibility with the business leaders, but more importantly, I understand how talent decisions directly impact the financial performance of the company.” In a sector long dominated by men, she’s helping manage a transformation within the leadership ranks at one of the region’s largest design/construction firms. Given the scarcity of talent across the

work/life balance many women are seeking. In addition, Johnson says, “we are no longer limited to an office location, which opens up the market from which we can hire. We’re recruiting heavily on the construction front. We have purposely built a culture to help elevate and encourage women to build a career in construction. While growth in the percentage of women has proven more challenging (the number of women candi dates remains low), opportunities for women abound as we experience unprecedented growth in construction.”

and don’t learn something new during the day, and we’re entrepreneurial and growth-oriented. It’s an engaging environment and a great place to work. A combination of the industry, trade dynamics, and colleagues make it an alluring environment.” The world of commodity trading, shipment, and storage doesn’t have a top

of-mind presence among women assessing career potential, but Lindemoen says that can change, and it is. “Women in ag were not predominant at the start of my career, and there were few women who stayed in the sector for the duration of their career,” she says. But now? “We’re seeing more and more women each year. Our company benefits from a diverse employee population where diversity of thought is an important factor in company performance, direction, and future, and we value women and their career ambitions.”

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November 2020

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