JANESVILLE, Wis. — This Women’s History Month, a Rock County-based specialty retailer celebrated its continued success, thanks to the leader at the helm.
“I obviously grew up around the business,” Jane Blain Gilbertson said about her nearly four decade career in the family-owned company.
She is Blain’s Farm and Fleet’s first female CEO.
As she rose through the ranks, she said the secret to becoming one of Wisconsin’s top awarded businesses was a caring and strategic approach.
“One store at a time, one team at a time, making sure that we didn’t get beyond our skis financially, that we made sure that we did a very conservatively and never grows too fast and not just financially but to make sure that we have the right people,” Blain Gilbertson said.
She called her employees her “family” and her customers her “neighbors,” not “transactions.” She said she gives her associates the freedom to approach her and speak their minds.
Blain Gilbertson said she wants her “family” of employees to feel confident in their decisions; that’s why her professional mantra matters.
“‘It is up to me,’” she said. “That’s one of the things we say we’re in the organization: ‘It’s up to me.’”
Her current regional manager, Nicholas Shores, was confident and empowered enough to make a change to his stores that ultimately helped Blain’s Farm and Fleet succeed during the pandemic.
When the pandemic set in, Shores’ stores had a pet aisle, but the section was toward the back of the retail space. His 10 locations moved the aisle up front, which turned out to be a smart sales move.
“That’s huge for our business and kind of where we are now — and during the COVID,” he said. “A lot of folks were interested in grabbing an animal… We really took advantage of that and really brought the pet business to where we want it to be.”
Blain Gilbertson said she is constantly reminding herself of stories like this that drive home her mission and vision. On her headquarters’ stairwell, a deep-rooted symbolic tree reminds her of what’s most important to the nearly 70-year-old company: The people.
“Because it’s up to each one of us. It’s not just me as the leader. It’s up to each one of us in this organization to make sure that we do the right thing,” she said.
Year after year, Forbes has confirmed Blain Gilbertson is leading in the right way. The 45-store company is a frequent winner of its “best mid-sized employer” honor.
“That is very unusual — [for a company to receive the award] again and again… So we’re extremely proud,” she said.
Under her tenure, the company has been recognized by Forbes for the same award five times.
She said her late father, Bert, would be proud of her accolades too. He was the co-founder of Blain’s Farm and Fleet.
“He was a supportive father who always believed I could do anything,” she said.
Right now, her goal is to lead his company with a female-focused future.
“Look at our at our store management and those ranks are now 31% female and we only had a handful of female managers just a few years ago,” she said. “And at the director level — I’m really thrilled to say that every single function in our organization now is represented, in some way, by a female director. And literally five years ago we didn’t have a single one.”