Since taking over as CEO for National Van Lines after her father's passing in 1993, Maureen Beal has seen the organization, started by her grandfather, enjoy steady double-digit growth. She plays a vital, hands-on role; maintaining that the company should "never be so large as to lose sight of the personal connection we have with our family of agents and drivers, and of course, our customers."
National Van Lines has been honored as the 23rd largest certified woman-owned business in the United States by DiversityBusiness.com. A recent announcement in Crain's Chicago Business Magazine places National Van Lines as the 11th largest woman-owned business in Chicago.
Maureen serves on the Board of Directors of the American Moving and Storage Association and is a Past Director of the Household Goods Carriers Bureau. Having served as Chairman of The American Cancer Society Board of DuPage County, IL, she is an advocate for women's health issues. Actively involved in community service, Maureen is the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Aspire, an organization that works with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Currently, Maureen is a Trustee for Benedictine University, an Associate at Northwestern University and a Board Member for the Humanitarian Project of Carol Stream, IL.
Carrying that spirit of "giving back to the community" to a global level, National Van Lines is a proud sponsor of the environmental artist, Wyland. His larger than life whaling walls can be seen in 69 cities on four continents. Providing transportation services for the Wyland Ocean Challenge, the Clean Water for the 21st Century and Beyond tours, and individual Whaling Wall projects, reinforces the message, "While Wyland protects the oceans, National Van Lines is protecting your memories."
Soon to be featured in Margaret Heffernan's new book on successful women, and recognized for her expertise in employee retention and sound business practices; Maureen regularly speaks at industry conventions and is frequently invited to share her approach to management as a conference speaker/panelist.
Maureen has three children and five grandchildren and lives with her husband and daughter in Wheaton, Illinois.
Additional Directorships - Past Director, East West Corporate Corridor; Current Director & Treasurer, Executive Breakfast Club of Oakbrook; Current Director, Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society
When you first started your career/business did you feel passion for your work?
It was the family business, and in a way, it was all that I knew and felt comfortable with. So passion, no. A feeling of being “at home,” yes. It wasn’t until I left the family business, in order to stay in California with my young family, that I realized what I missed. I got passionate when I came back!
When you first started were you able to visualize your final outcome?
Actually, when I was younger, I always believed that I would play a role behind the scenes. My brothers would take over the business, and I would be a silent partner. My father saw it differently, and when he stepped down, he handed the leadership of the company to me.
What were your top three obstacles/challenges?
1. Being taken seriously, as the boss’ daughter. Not only was I younger than many of the employees I supervised, I had to demonstrate that I got the position on my abilities, not my family connection.
2. Learning (quickly) aspects of the industry I hadn’t worked with. My father needed me to head the International Division at National, and I had to learn the ins-and-outs of a very complicated and completely foreign (no pun intended) aspect of our business on the fly! Even though I would have rather learned brain surgery at the time, it helped that he had the confidence in me, and I persevered.
3. Balancing growth appropriately. Over the years, I’ve seen companies fail because they take on too much at one time. I don’t want to be the biggest – I want to be the best. And to me, the best means offering top quality service and exceeding customer expectations. You can’t do that if you’re growing so fast you lose control over the details.
How did you deal with doubt, fear, and self recrimination?
Again, I look to the terrific life-examples my father and mother were to me. My father, and his father before him, looked at challenges with a positive outlook, and they ultimately succeeded. Winston Churchill said that “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” My father never gave up! And my mother? She came to this country from Germany, alone, at age 18, and decided to stay. That was unheard of in 1925! But she had made up her mind, so she went to business school, and learned bookkeeping. She was very proud of the fact that she was National Van Lines first bookkeeper.
Did you feel that the traditional male dominated workplace affected you at all? If so, what did you do about it?
It seems that my position is a curiosity to a lot of people. In fact, just recently, when I was at a Northwestern University luncheon, one of the bright, young men who were being honored asked me “Have you always aspired to be where you are today?” I replied, “Of course, I used to stay awake nights dreaming of becoming the CEO of a trucking company.”
What is particularly telling about that is, it would have not only been unexpected for me to be dreaming about being the head of a trucking company – it would have been just as surprising for me to be dreaming about being the CEO of any company. I was brought up in the pre-war generation, where women were considered old maids if they hadn’t married by the age of 21. In fact, when my two older brothers and I were young, we would discuss how they would run the company while I would be the silent partner – staying home to cook and take care of the house and the children.
But, here I am, many years later, in a job I love and an industry I love. And while I have had some challenges, in my career path over the years, I have to tell you that being a woman in this male industry has not been one of them. My male counterparts, my agents and especially my drivers, have been very accepting of me and have been wonderful to work with. And while I think I have the good fortune of being brought up in the business and not having a large learning curve while trying to prove myself, I think if you are able to show your passion for what you do, work hard and get things done, we can all obtain that goal we are striving for.
Do you feel you were traditional in terms of your steps to your Optimal Level? If yes, if no, please explain.
Not at all. I was surprised by my father’s decision, but in hindsight, it makes sense. He knew that I would do whatever it took to carry on his dreams for the company – it goes back to that passion I re-discovered when I came back into the business. And, he saw that I had the decision-making skills to balance cash and growth appropriately for the long term. We all have our ways to keep our fingers on the pulse of the business. My father would go into the operations department and look at the shipment tickets on the boards. I do it by managing the cash!
As you look back, what is the one thing you wish you knew when you started?
I think I would have moved toward more computerized systems earlier. National Van Lines was one of the first major carriers to automate their dispatch and scheduling processes, but looking back, I think I would have been more aggressive about other areas, as well. My brother, Ron, who is our computer guru, has really strengthened our business operations with his expertise.
Any regrets?
I wish my Dad had seen our turnaround. In his last few years of leadership, National went through some tough times. But, we re-focused, tightened our belts, and had many straight years of double digit growth. He would have enjoyed seeing that.
Do you believe luck had something to do with your rise to where you are now?
No. I have worked very hard to be where I am today. And, one of the keys to success is to have strong people around me. I know my strengths and weaknesses and I have built a team to balance it all out.
Do you feel you paid a price to be as successful as you are now?
No, many professionals feel as if they have sacrificed family relationships, etc., by working long hours, etc. I have always made time, when I needed to, to take care of my loved ones and maintain a strong family bond. It takes prioritization, having a strong team around you, and asking for help when needed; but I believe it can be done. A sense of humor and an understanding spouse make a difference, too!
What is the best piece of advice you have for other women on their way to their Optimal Level?
SPEAK UP! I think one of the problems with us women is – we don’t speak up to be heard.
While the old proverb states “I’ve often regretted my speech, never my silence,” sometimes the opposite is true. As women in business, we need to learn to speak up.
I recently met a young, obviously intelligent financial planner. She works for one of the Final Four – as she put it – referring to the remaining big accounting firms in Chicago. When she first started with them, she felt out of place because almost everyone there, at her job level, was male. She felt she didn’t speak their language – they talked in sports metaphors and quoted lines from movies verbatim – which evidently is a “guy” thing. She was intimidated and didn’t feel like one of the group. One day, she finally got up the nerve to make a verbal contribution in a meeting, and to her surprise, all of her male co-workers started to applaud. That certainly broke the ice for her and she has been talking up a storm ever since.
I know it is intimidating when you are one of the few women in a business situation but when you know what you are talking about, speak up and be heard. I know it is not easy, because I am on a board with sixty guys and two women. It took me awhile to get the nerve to contribute to the meetings but I had to, so they didn’t start thinking I had no knowledge or opinions at all. I have come to the conclusion that we are our own worst enemy in our fear of misspeaking. Believe me, I have heard some pretty dumb comments during some of these meetings, as you probably have in the past, so we should not be afraid that we are going to appear foolish.
Do you have any other tips for career or business women?
In the past couple of years, I have come to the conclusion that in today’s business environment, gender is becoming more and more invisible. You succeed in business not because you are a man or woman, but rather, whether you are a good or bad manager.
What do you think is the biggest mistake career/business women make?
Not having the courage to live by their convictions. The bottom line is, we ALL know what the right thing to do is. We need to have courage of our convictions and do the right thing. Every time, no exceptions. If you live by that rule, the ethical dilemmas are minimized, if not eliminated, and your path will be clear. But you have to make certain that your entire organization understands that as well, otherwise you’re stomping out fires all the time!
