This International Women’s Day we’re celebrating a very special member of the Jubitz team: Vice President of Fleet Services Gaylene Salvagno. Gaylene has worked at Jubitz for over 30 years. She started in an entry-level position and has been working her way up since. “Gaylene is very knowledgeable about many aspects of Jubitz and is great with customers. She is highly trusted, values her staff, work, and customer relationships and keeps lines of communication open,” said Mark Gram, COO. “These attributes make Gaylene an invaluable asset to Jubitz.”

Gaylene came to Jubitz in her twenties with a degree in accounting and started working in the vault in 1983. After only six months, she made a positive impression and received a promotion to shift leader. She stayed in this position for six years before deciding she wanted to take some time off to build her family. Upon her departure, she let her manager know she would consider returning to Jubitz in the future.

Four years later, she got a phone call—a part-time position opened in the vault. Gaylene looked forward to coming back. She began working part-time, and again, quickly became a supervisor, a position she held for the next four years. She continued getting promoted and became the billing manager and then the accounting manager. After 12 years as the accounting manager, COO Mark Gram approached her about a position managing customer service in Fleet Services. Gaylene felt ready for a new challenge. In 2006, she moved into the new position. Within Fleet Services, she worked her way up and became vice president in 2016.

Gaylene has chosen to stay at Jubitz for such a long time because she loves that it’s a family-run business, and that management commits itself to looking within for talent.  “Because I didn’t have any experience in managing customer service in that division, Mark could have just placed an ad and not even told me,” she said. “But [at Jubitz], we try to look at, who do we currently have who we should try to keep?”

Gaylene pays it forward by doing her best to mentor others at Jubitz. When Jubitz recently hired a new accounting manager, Gaylene even stepped in to assist with training since she held that position years ago. Customer Service Manager of Fleet Services Liz Valseca, who works closely with Gaylene, says, “Gaylene’s professional achievement is one that I aspire to follow. She inspires me to set my own goals high in what is a primarily male-dominated industry.”

Are you a woman in business? Here are Gaylene’s tips for success.

• Ask for what you want. Don’t feel like you’re not good enough or not smart enough. When you go over goals with your manager, be honest about what you hope to achieve.
• Find a workplace where people believe in you and support your dreams.
• Try new things, because you never know where that experience will lead you.
• Speak up in meetings and make your voice heard.
• Have compassion for the people you work with, and really get to know them. As you grow in your career, become a mentor to others.