In her 17th year as a high-ranking emergency room nurse, Cheryl Sment didn’t foresee her career change to president of a sealant and concrete business.
But when a banker friend put her in touch with an offer to buy a sealant and concrete company, Sment knew she could not let the opportunity pass her by.
It wasn’t easy to prove that a nurse could become a businesswoman in a typically male-dominated field, but the self-described “education nut” absorbed every piece of information she could.
“I also brought in a woman’s compassion to the workplace,” said Sment. “Morale was down when I took over, so I wanted to build everything on my co-workers. I wanted to make it the best place they’d ever worked.”
One way Sment builds morale is by keeping her crew active, even when they’re stuck in the rain at an out-of-town job. In that instance, she says she looks for movie or concert tickets to occupy their time away from home.
Today, 11 years later, Interstate Sealant & Concrete has grown to 57 employees and has contracts nationwide with multiple military bases, airports and NASA.
In the past year, the company has grown by 40 percent. Sment says that growth is a result of her highly productive workforce and an internal culture of respect.
“My employees are the best. They can get the job done no matter what it is,” she said. “Everyone from my office staff to the general laborer, they are all a part of this successful team.”
Interstate Sealant & Concrete Inc.
Address: 108A Wilmont Dr.,
Waukesha
Website: www.interstatesealant.com
Industry: road and airport pavement maintenance
Revenues: $6.8 million
Employees: 57
