Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Peterson.
Hi Shelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, I am a third-generation construction professional who has spent nearly thirty years in the construction industry. Grew up in a construction family, my dad was an Operating Engineer – Local 49 construction superintendent, and my grandfather was a carpenter superintendent.
Construction was the industry I was never getting into. I attended business school in Minneapolis and earned a business administration and accounting degree. I started working as an accountant for The Boldt Company after my dad referred me to help after a roof collapsed at a major industrial customer in Cloquet, Minnesota. The payroll manager left the company, and I came in to provide temporary help. I remember telling my dad I thought it was weird to work for the same company as your dad, and I was only staying for a short period. Fast forward 24 years later, I left Boldt!
My love for construction allowed me to wear many hats over the years, including financial manager, project manager, group manager, and executive Vice President and General Manager of Minnesota Operations. I was the first female executive vice president to run an operating group in the 129+ years of the company. My skills allowed me to be involved in various aspects of project delivery, including preconstruction in the market sectors of commercial, banking, education, healthcare, student housing, senior living, government, power, industrial, pulp and paper, mining, oil, and gas. I proudly represented Boldt as a member of many community organizations: CEOs in the School, Junior Achievement, Construct Tomorrow, Member of APEX Economic Development Partnership, Chair of the Carlton County United Way, and President of the Cloquet Economic Development Authority. I received Volunteer of the Year two times from the Cloquet Area Chamber of Commerce and received the Women in Leadership Award from Northland News Center.
After nearly 24 years of service at The Boldt Company, I moved to SW Florida to continue to grow my construction leadership career. The Gulf Coast region of Florida is a thriving construction geography consisting of luxury condos, resorts, shopping centers, senior housing, entertainment venues, and new schools. I wanted to be a part of that growth. The circumstances for that growth changed dramatically after I became an SW Florida resident. The geographic change, company change, and relationship changes left my teenage twins homesick and wanting to graduate from their hometown school after realizing that family and friends were more important than climate and boating.
Many people cannot understand why I would leave the sunshine state and move back to Minnesota so my kids could finish high school in their hometown. Well, here it is. While lying in my hospital bed after my first daughter Megan died at birth, I promised God that if he saw that I was fit to be a parent, I would always put my children first, teach them to be kind and care for other people, and do my best to create the best life I could. That promise has come with many sacrifices. It is a promise I do my best to carry out every day.
After $3.5B in completed construction projects in fourteen different states, under almost every contract format, in most market sectors, in both a union and non-union environment, mentoring and leading over 2,000 people, I started Promoting Me. In construction, it is about the people that build. That is the differentiator. It only makes sense that I start a company that helps companies realize the potential of the personal brands of their people, help people understand the power within, and teach people how to stay relevant and ahead of their competition in the digital marketplace we live in. I help people stop the scroll.
My passion for business, entrepreneurship, and people is my motivator. Before starting Promoting Me, I owned eight different companies while in corporate leadership roles. Those businesses consisted of property rental, mini-storage, accounting services, an electrical company, invented and patented a septic control panel, a family dining restaurant, a bar-restaurant, and a catering company, I am also a co-owner of AskVetChristine.com.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a female in the construction industry was one of the biggest struggles in my career. When speaking to younger female construction and engineering students, I joke, “I was in construction before it was cool.”
One of the advantages was at meeting break time, there was never a line at the women’s restroom. I always felt I had to work twice as hard to gain the respect and trust of my male counterparts both within the industry and from my customer’s viewpoint. My success has been strong male mentors in the construction industry who continued to push, teach, encourage, and advocate on my behalf.
Being a single mom in a leadership role has been challenging. My family, coworkers, friends, and community wrapped their arms around my twins and me and gave that extra set of hands when needed.
We’ve been impressed with Promoting Me, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Promoting Me is a business strategy and personal branding firm that helps PEOPLE become brands and make a name for themselves. We specialize in strategy. A strategy built around marketplace trends and standing out in a micro-attention world. We help you stop the scroll.
Promoting Me helps clients develop their personal and employee brand assets with custom-built professional/executive .com or .me website profiles, LinkedIn creation and coaching, storytelling and video creation, signature logos, personalized brand statements, customized resumes and curriculum vitae, electronic business cards, and customized dynamic QR Codes.
We build, grow, and showcase leaders so they can network, lead, connect, and boost their careers. Shelly and her team provide creative solutions to help their clients communicate who they are, help them stand out from their competition, and make a name for themselves. Doing so unlocks opportunities clients didn’t even know existed and helps them achieve their business and career goals. We also provide career coaching to help job seekers and those navigating a major professional pivot develop a plan for success.
Promoting Me helps develop leaders who inspire others to work toward common goals identified with clear communication, character, confidence, compassion, courage, and commitment. We customize leadership programs that help clients determine their personal brands.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory was when my mom, sister, and I temporarily relocated to American Fork, Utah, where my dad was building a project at the Kennecott Gold Mine outside Salt Lake City. As a family, we experienced a culture very different than that back in Northern Minnesota.
We traveled around Utah, taking in the major sites like the Great Salt Lake, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Park City, Snowbird Ski Resort, Mormon Tabernacle, Brigham Young University, Osmond Studios, and much more. The family time, culture, sightseeing, adventure, lessons learned, and friendships created a lifetime of memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.promotingme.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/promotingmellc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/promotingmellc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/promoting-me/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvD6YW0DFGg991CxQv0MKaA
- Other: https://promotingme-ecard.com/