08/27/2020
CONGRATULATIONS TO JENNIFER THIEL, our 2020 Women in Construction Honoree!!
https://dailyreporter.com/2020/08/19/a-utility-player-thiel-continues-to-meet-challenges/
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Home / 2020 Women in Construction / A utility player, Thiel continues to meet challenges
A utility player, Thiel continues to meet challenges
By: Alison Henderson August 19, 2020 3:30 pm
Jennifer Thiel - Builders Hardware and Hollow Metal
With a workload that includes everything from accounting to HR to IT, it’s no wonder Jennifer Thiel, vice president of finance at Builders Hardware and Hollow Metal, has had to learn to be comfortable doing more than one thing at once.
Thiel began her construction career out of high school in the Builders’ shop as a metal technician. It wasn’t long, though, before she had become an assistant project manager. Her fondness for finance, money and numbers prompted her to take accounting classes during her off-hours and she soon was accepting a position in the company’s accounting team.
In her 15 years at Builders, Thiel has continued to rise to the occasion.
“Whenever I was asked to take on more, I took it on,” she said.
When the company went up for sale and the general manager abruptly resigned in 2016, not only did Thiel help with the mergers and acquisitions; she also assumed additional responsibilities and served as acting general manager during a critical three-month window.
“Through grit and determination, she handled all of the responsibilities well, responded to all of the due diligence requests in a timely fashion and the transaction was successful,” says Wade Walla, Builders owner and president.
After being promoted to vice president of finance, Thiel has presided over labor-force growth of 70 percent and revenue growth approaching 75 percent. She performs various due-diligence activities, evaluating candidates for strategic acquisitions. It was that sort of work that enabled Builders to buy EDS Architectural Openings in 2018.
She took the lead on moving the company over to an ERP system, which Walla said has undergirded its rapid expansion. She now serves as a human-resources and workforce-development leader, as well as a coach, to an all-female team of accounting, administration and bookkeeping professionals. All the while, she manages billing and contracts for customers such as Gilbane, Foxconn, CG Schmidt, Findorff and Boldt.
“I’ve learned not to get too caught up in the moment of being overwhelmed with everything, to take a step back and tackle one thing at a time,” she said.
Walla said Thiel is talented, tough and driven.
“She became indispensable to our company through her smarts, experience and knowledge of the construction industry,” Walla said.
