Ariat CEO Beth Cross on Supporting Employees at Every Life Stage: Women Who Rock
Ariat is unusual among footwear companies. The boot brand, based in Union City, Calif., was founded in 1993 by two women — Beth Cross and Pam Parker — and continues to be female-led, with Cross serving as chief executive officer.
“Having female founders, that changes things a little bit, because it’s an external signal that perhaps the mindset and the philosophy of the business is different,” explained Cross.
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But Ariat’s commitment to an inclusive culture goes much deeper that the external.
“We work really hard to create a supportive, challenging and empowering environment for both men and women,” said Cross.
She noted that the proof of its efforts can be found in the company’s demographics. Both its senior leadership and sales teams are made up of 50 percent women. “And not only are we diverse by gender, but also, importantly, by age, geography, education, hobbies, pets, kids, no kids, horses, no horses,” the CEO added.
To foster that kind of environment, Cross said she spends a lot of time thinking about the life stages of her employees and how to support them at the various points in their careers.
For instance, she explained, with younger team members, the company’s focus is on coaching, mentoring and teaching them how to show up in the workplace.
“We make some of our meetings bigger than they perhaps need to be, not because we’re trying to be less efficient, but because it gives younger people in the organization an opportunity to see how it works,” Cross said. “It’s not about networking, but more to get a sense of where they will be in another two or three years in their career and how that works.”
Then, when employees enter the family stage of life, Ariat offers paid parental for both men and women. It also welcomes the whole family into the organization.
“Because half of our sales team are women, there’s almost always a baby at our company sales meetings — not in the meetings, per se, but at the meals and events,” Cross said, laughing.
When women are supported through that life stage, it gives them the resources they need to continue to grow in their careers. And companies reap the benefits, said Cross.
“They just get smarter, with more wisdom, more experience. It’s such a win. We’ve never seen a case where supporting people through life stages has been a negative. The positives are so significant.” And a new life stage can take many forms, she added, including taking on additional personal obligations like caring for aging parents or dealing with an illness. “Our team pulls together to support each other through all of those times,” said Cross.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 3 print issue of FN, as part of the “Women Who Rock” special section. On Feb. 4, FN and Two Ten Footwear Foundation will honor these women at the annual live event in New York City.
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