Industry Forward: Sam Metcalf’s Passion for M&D Own The Promise

Sam Metcalf, Managing Principal of Industry, has built an impressive career on a lifetime passion for the M&D industry. She explains how market segments are screaming for highly specialized professionals, and she has some profoundly helpful insights for those who want to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities this offers. One of her most fascinating tips? Be inquisitive and don’t hold back any of your questions.







[00:00:04]







Narrator: John Richter takes a moment to catch up with Sam Metcalf who’s built an impressive career on a lifetime passion for the M&D industry. She explains the need for highly specialized professionals, and shares her helpful insights for those who want to take advantage of new and exciting opportunities. One tip? Be inquisitive… ask questions. Industry Forward starts now .







Music up…







[00:00:36]







John: Hello, CLA

family. Welcome to the Industry Forward podcast, the podcast designed to tell

you the stories behind the CLA promise and the careers that have been inspired

because of industry specialization. We create opportunities when we live the

CLA culture and fulfill the CLA promise.







[00:00:55]









We

act as leaders, owners, entrepreneurs. At the center of this CLA promise is our

purpose, our why: to create opportunities, to wake up each morning and ask

ourselves, for whom will we create an opportunity today? If we did that, if we

act in accordance with that belief, it would be a different firm. Imagine a

firm where every morning, every person wakes up asking themselves, “Who am

I going to create opportunities for today?”







[00:01:24]







Well,

today, we’re going to hear about an individual who had a multitude of

opportunities created, mostly through the industry of manufacturing and

distribution.  Samantha Metcalf, welcome

to the microphone. Would you tell us a little bit about your career?







[00:01:41]







Sam: Sure. Well, I

don’t know if you know this, but I came from Cleveland, Minnesota, population

600 people. Graduated with 40 kids in my class and was from a very rural

community. My dad was the sales director of a manufacturing and distribution

company. They manufactured passenger elevators, and so I grew up following my

dad around, riding on top of elevators, meeting individuals on the

manufacturing floor.







My

first job was babysitting the owner’s kids, and then I transitioned into

working for the manufacturing company. I ran parts. I drove these very large

vehicles all over the state of Minnesota and Iowa delivering manufactured parts

to the customers.







[00:02:24]







John: I’m trying to

imagine Sam Metcalf driving a big truck, but let’s go with it.







[00:02:30]







Sam: It was

dangerous, let’s just put it that way. So, it was fun. It was great. But it

gave me a passion for the industry; it gave me a passion for the people. And so

I went to college, went to St. Mary’s University and got an accounting degree.

And mainly, that was because my mom was an accountant, and not knowing exactly

what I wanted to do, I thought, you know, she was very good at her job; I would

follow in her footsteps.







[00:02:53]







So,

started with a small public accounting firm. And I did a bit of everything. I

served non-profits, I did 1099s, I did manufacturing companies.