It’s a dirty world, and there is always something to clean, said StoneAge CEO Kerry Siggins. She guides the local manufacturing company that is leading the world in automated industrial water blast equipment and technology. The business serves customers around the world, customizing equipment to offer safer solutions for jobs that require industrial cleaning tools.
“I don’t know that anybody gets into high pressure water jetting and industrial cleaning on purpose,” Siggins said. “I certainly didn’t. When I moved to Durango 13 years ago, I asked, ‘How can I find a great job in Durango that uses my talents and skills?’ StoneAge fit the bill.”
As a student, Siggins was quick to learn and excelled in subjects like math and science. Her high school math teacher encouraged her to pursue a career in engineering. Anxious to leave Montrose, she earned a softball scholarship to Colorado School of Mines.
“Mines provided me with a great education but I was a bit lost once I graduated,” Siggins said. “I knew I didn’t want to be an engineer, and I wanted to live somewhere warm, so I packed up my belongings and moved to Texas.”
In 2002, Siggins moved to Austin to bask in the sunshine but eventually, city life and the unrelenting heat wore her down. After five years in Austin, she moved in with her mother in Durango.
“At that time, I was living an uninspiring life,” she said. “I had no plan and no money. I was 28 years old and living with my mom. This was not the vision I had for myself, so it was a pretty hard time in my life. I was seriously in debt, so I didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
Siggins saw an ad in the newspaper for a job at StoneAge. Though she felt underqualified, she applied for the general manager position as an opportunity to put her foot in the door, even if she didn’t receive the position, she said. In January 2007, the founders offered her the job under the title of operations manager.
“Our founders, John Wolgamott and Jerry Zink, took a risk by handing me the reigns at such an early age. They were fundamental in my growth as a manager and leader,” Siggins said. “They gave me leeway to make decisions and make mistakes. I look back, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity they gave me.”
Siggins’ responsibilities included overseeing engineering, purchasing, production control work and customer service.
“I spent a lot of time getting to know my employees at StoneAge, helping them align their roles with their talents and strengths,” Siggins said. “I found I had a knack for getting people into the right seats on the bus, so to speak. Because of this, some of my employees started calling me a ‘human engineer.’ I love finding ways to help people be their very best.”
Siggins was promoted from operations manager to general manager in summer 2008. In November 2009, she was promoted to CEO at age 31. Even 10 years later, Siggins still takes a hands-on approach in her current role by providing feedback for employee presentations, mentoring staff members and interacting with customers.
Siggins likes the complex nature of working for a manufacturing company. She also sits on the board of the Waterjet Technology Association, and has been working to create global standards for industrial cleaning through a grassroots movement by forming partnerships with industry professionals to create the Global Industrial Cleaning Coalition.
“There’s no one way, anywhere around the world, to do this work,” Siggins said. “Through GICC, we are creating baseline safety principles that safety associations can adopt all around the world. The purpose is to save lives and reduce injuries.”
In addition to working on this industry initiative, Siggins is involved in her local community. She is on the board of E.P.I.C. Conscious Living Magazine and is a member of the Business Advisory Committee at Fort Lewis College.
“I love mentoring and helping people think about business in a different way,” Siggins said. “I like to pull from my experience and learn from their experience to help develop strategies and find solutions.”