Simpson Strong-Tie Billing Specialist Maria discusses the “Secret Sauce” that has made Simpson Strong-Tie a unique and inspiring place to work. She shares her own career journey and how her finance team focuses on empowering others while having fun and staying humble. 

Life is too short to be stuck in the wrong job going down a career path that isn’t a good fit for you and doesn’t make you happy.  Our company’s founder, Barclay Simpson, built this company on nine core values and a “Secret Sauce,” which have made Simpson Strong-Tie a supportive, collaborative and engaging place to work.  

What is our secret sauce? And how well does it work? Keep reading to find out! 

A Little Bit About Me 

Let me start by introducing myself! My name is Maria, I would like to identify as a 25-year-old woman, although in reality I’m 32 years old (crying on the inside). I’m fluent in three languages (English, Arabic and French) and knowledgeable in Spanish. I grew up and got my Bachelor of Science degree in Lebanon, majoring in marketing. I then moved to the United States with my family 10 years ago! 

I worked in a lot of fields at different companies that were “bus stops” for me, until I hopped off the bus at the destination I’ve been seeking for so long, and it was Simpson Strong-Tie. As our founder Barc said, Simpson Strong-Tie is not a bus stop, it’s a career.

My Career Journey at Simpson Strong-Tie 

Six years ago, a family friend, who happens to be the plant manager at our Riverside branch, told me about the great culture and the amazing benefits that this company has to offer and referred me for a job. I took a leap of faith and quit my previous job at a collection agency and applied for the inventory control position. 

In this role, I worked with various departments, and even had the opportunity to temporarily fill in for the quality control manager role. This allowed me to attend the quality managers summit at our Pleasanton office and meet my idol, our CEO Karen! 

Two years later, our head of finance offered me the “billing specialist” position and I accepted it. I joined the amazing finance team and I’ve been growing in my position and loving my job ever since.

How Barc Simpson’s Principles Impact the Finance Team 

Our founder knew the secret sauce for establishing a great company, so when he wrote down his principles of doing business he focused on prioritizing customer satisfaction, making quality products, empowering the employees and creating a family culture at work. 

These principles were key to creating great teams at our branch! Our finance team, for example, relies heavily on supporting each other and building trust. Our team creates a positive environment for employees so that, when life happens, I know I can count on my team to cheer me up, boost my morale and help me with my duties until I’m able to get back to work stress free.   

Career Tips 

Sometimes, after working for many years in the same field, anyone can experience job monotony — where our daily tasks become less interesting and close to boring. But it takes a caring team and a happy environment to make us feel excited about logging in to work every day! So try to keep it fun for everybody around you, and don’t forget to be humble!