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Who I AmHi and welcome! My name is Kerry Siggins and I am passionate about becoming a better communicator, whether it be in front of an audience, with a colleague, when teaching my son Jack, or one-on-one with my husband. Just like most of you, I have had some great communication moments and then...well...some not so great ones. Through trial and error, lots of feedback, and some influential coaching, I have learned the power of planning, practicing, and delivering my message, no matter the situation. And let's face it, most of the important moments in life revolve around how we communicate. The intention of my blog is to share my journey with the goal of helping anyone who wants to be a better leader through the power of influence and and finding your authentic and effective voice.
My family calls me Schatzie, which is sweetheart in German; all my colleagues at StoneAge call me KP (Petranek is my maiden name) as to not confuse me with our other Carrie. |
What I Do |
I am the Chief Executive Officer of a small company called StoneAge based in Durango, CO. We design and manufacture high pressure waterblasting tools and equipment for the industrial cleaning industry. I am eternally grateful for my job because I ABSOLUTELY love what I do, even though I always pictured myself in a much more glamorous industry. To learn more about StoneAge (and you should because it really is an amazing, employee-owned company) click here.
At the ripe age of 28, I began my journey of leading StoneAge and I quickly learned how to adjust my style to effectively lead smart people who know a heck of a lot more than I did. Being relatively young, especially for my role, I had a lot to learn not only about the product and the industry, but how to manage and motivate people. And managing and motivating people takes great communication skills. As they say, "It's not just what you say but how you say it." To be quite frank, I screwed up a lot of my messaging because of my delivery. So I galloped off (and will always be galloping) in the pursuit of personal growth, self-awareness, and improved communication skills, determined to be the best leader I could be.
Along the way, I developed a knack for what my colleagues teasingly call KP's Human Engineering. It is incredibly motivating and rewarding to help my employees identify and develop talents, find the "right" role, and then succeed. I am committed to helping my fellow coworkers improve not only as employees but as human beings, even when it means having really hard conversations. My leadership style is based around open and honest communication and constantly asking for feedback on how I can do better. My successes and failures have given me many stories, quite a few tears, and much wisdom and insight. I am grateful for the opportunities I've been given to share this knowledge with those who want to listen. I began public speaking while I was in college and have enjoyed growing as a professional speaker over the years. I now speak at all types of events on a range of topics which include communication, leadership, motivation, and economic development. Next on my list...to write a book...but what about...well I still have to figure that out. |
My History |
I grew up in Montrose, a small town on the Western Slope of Colorado. At 18, I left home to attend Colorado School of Mines, a small engineering school in Golden, CO on a softball scholarship. At Mines, I quickly learned that I didn't want to be an engineer. But quitting is not my style so I stuck it out, graduated, and moved to Austin, TX with the intent of working for a year or two and then going to graduate school. I found a job as a part time waitress and an operations coordinator for Eaton Corporation's electrical engineering services group in central Texas. I quickly fell in love with the complexity of manufacturing, engineering and operations and knew I found my passion. I did a short stint in the IT recruiting world where I learned about talent management, software, and client development. I never made it to grad school.
After 5 years, I decided that the crazy lifestyle of Austin and the heat of Texas summers weren't for me. So I put my belongings in storage, packed up my SUV, and drove to Durango, CO where my mom lived. I cried most of the 1000 miles out of both fear and excitement, sadness and happiness. I think that's just what happens when you follow your heart. I had no money and only a little hope of finding a job that would allow me to stay in Durango, but I figured I could be a ski bum for a winter and then move to Denver if it didn't work out. Luckily, I found StoneAge where the two founders saw something in me that made them decide that I just might be the one who could take over running their company. They took a risk (although they thought I only had a 50/50 chance of making it) and hired me. I have been the CEO of StoneAge since 2009, sit on its board of directors as well as the board of the WaterJet Technology Association. I was named one of Colorado's Most Influential Young People in 2010 and most recently was given the Morley Ballantine's Leadership award. I also was a founding board member of the La Plata Economic Development Alliance and I sit on the Fort Lewis College Business Advisory Board and E.P.I.C, Magazine. I am the mother of an amazing kiddo named Jack. My husband, Ryan, is the owner of Durango Wood Company, a local wood products mill. Click here to check out Durango Wood Company's website. |