Jeanie Diamond had no intentions of joining her husband’s company, SED International Holdings Inc., back in 1980. But just a few months into it, he drafted her.
“He pulled me in here — it was not by choice,” she says. “I think we were in business five months when he said to me, ‘You’re in the army.’”
She reluctantly joined the business, which had about seven employees at that time. Over the next 23 years, they worked extremely hard to keep that small-company feeling, even as the business crossed different revenue milestones. Then in 2003, her husband passed away, and Diamond took over as chairman and CEO of the business.
“That was my biggest challenge,” she says. “But you know, you become a stronger person when you have to. [I overcame it] by my SED family, by the company. … It was definitely coming in here in the morning — you can’t not be happy.”
The business did $371.7 million in net sales in 2004, her first full year at the helm. Last year, the company, which provides computer hardware, wireless communications, consumer electronics and e-business solutions, did $478.7 million, but she says the keys to her successes, both now and 29 years ago, are still the same: create and foster a close-knit, family atmosphere and always be willing to listen, communicate and change when necessary.
“It’s communication with your employees and your vendors and your customers,” she says. “I think that’s the key to all industries. It’s a respect for one another. It’s a common goal in the company. Here at SED, it’s a family feeling when you walk through the doors.”
