tED Magazine, a publication for electrical distributors, announced June 8 that Van Meter president and CEO Lura McBride has been named the 2023 National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) Women in Industry Trailblazer honoree.
The annual award is given to a woman who has had an exceptional career in distribution and has had a positive impact on supporting women in the electrical distribution industry.
“I was shocked, humbled, proud and honored all at the same time,” Ms. McBride said in a release. “I know I have some unique and important abilities, but it’s the people around me at Van Meter and the industry who help me use those abilities to do good things.”
Van Meter is a fully employee-owned electrical distributor based in Cedar Rapids, with more than 800 employee-owners across 25 locations in eight states. Ms. McBride joined the company in 2008 and has been the president and CEO since 2016. The company has been named on the CBJ’s list of largest privately held companies multiple times, including in 2023.
Ms. McBride has made continued efforts to understand and address the unique challenges women at Van Meter — and in the electrical industry — face and initiated programs to support those women, like training, leadership conferences and a Women of Van Meter group.
“Women in leadership have to leverage their influence to ensure our industry is a place where women have opportunities to succeed in the careers they desire,” she said. “Whether it’s working on jobsites, in wire centers, in sales or as a product specialist, women need to be role models and advocate.”
Ms. McBride will receive her award at the NAED Women in Industry Forum in Salt Lake City June 12-14. A full profile on McBride was featured on the cover of the June edition of tED Magazine.
