Armour Valve was recently featured in the Globe and Mail with an article highlighting women in business and the trends related to a shift towards more diverse, women-led family businesses. This is true for Armour Valve where Liz McBeth, daughter of CEO, Ian Braff, was appointed President of the company in 2019. Liz discusses the hurdles and challenges she faced taking on the business in a male-dominated industry and how she proved her worth, working to grow the company and continue Armour Valve’s success.
Liz worked hard to establish her position at Armour Valve and bring positive changes to the company. Taking over the company from her father, she understood the importance of bringing her own skills and expertise to the new role rather than copying her father’s leadership style. Her background in marketing provided a new perspective and she prioritized learning about the shifts and trends in each industry the company serves to draw insights essential to the growth and sustainability of the business. This understanding allows Armour Valve to explore new markets and bring in new products to support customers’ transition to cleaner energy, reduced emissions, and circular economy processes to ensure a sustainable world for future generations. She also began the process of measuring and planning new initiatives around diversity for a more inclusive and responsible company culture.
Liz credits the company’s dedication to upholding a healthy work-life balance to her mother who, as the leader of HR and finance, was passionate about making Armour Valve a positive work environment. It is a priority for Liz to maintain the balanced work-life dynamic that has been integral to the company for so many years, and often a challenge to walk the talk.
Highlighting Work-Life Balance & Inclusivity at Armour Valve
Armour Valve is committed to upholding the values and beliefs we have developed over many decades since the business was established in 1971. These values include a strong team dynamic, inclusivity, and a solid work-life balance.
We are proud to be an inclusive team that continues to grow, and add experienced members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We are honoured to have a team made up of 44% female employees with a >10-year average active employee tenure. Our inclusivity allows our team to do their best work and values their individual skills and experience.
As a family business, we know how important it is for employees to have a healthy work environment and the opportunity to grow their families and spend time with them. Recently, in recognition of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, we shared what work-life balance means to parents on our team with our audience on social media. This is what Shanique Bramwell, our Sales & Marketing Specialist and a new mom, had to say:
“She smiled at me and instantly stole my heart. My planner full of daily to dos was suddenly replaced with a baby with her own timetable that conflicted with my desire to be ultra productive. Returning to work, I did not quite know what to expect but soon realized that balancing work and life with a young child was no easy feat! Sleepless nights, teething woes, sickness, round the clock feeding, it can get overwhelming quickly.
I am forever grateful to work for a company where time with family is prioritized and valued and where the owners regularly check in to see how my family and I are doing. I am thankful for the flexibility to work from home, for not having a long commute to and from work on days when I have had less than the recommended hours of sleep, and for their understanding as I attend to my daughter’s medical and other needs that being supported in doing so has a positive effect on my job performance. Most importantly when those special moments like school recitals, graduations and, hopefully, awards do arise; I know they will be right there in her corner cheering her along!
In the grand scheme of things, companies that understand work-life balance will see higher levels of retention as workers feel satisfied and, ultimately, will be more productive. A win on both sides of the coin!”
Armour Valve is devoted to sustaining an inclusive company culture, a healthy working environment and work-life balance for all our employees. We understand that creating a positive workplace enhances productivity, improves team dynamics, and influences our overall success. Check out our LinkedIn page to learn more about our team and their thoughts on work-life balance at Armour Valve. You can also find our posts on women in business on our LinkedIn page with comments from the women at Armour Valve that we featured for women’s day. If you’re interested in a potential career with us, send us your resume and we’ll be in touch.
