"Constantly Striving to Achieve More"

Laura Parker-Richard, VP of Business Development, GLOBAL Valve & Controls, has been gifted with positive reinforcement and a strategic thought process. Her ability to problem-solve and create a solution-based plan of action that benefits all team members has been a true gift to the organization. Laura has been a pioneering leader taking the organization to new heights. For over two decades, Global Valve & Controls has provided engineered valves and flow controls to the Oil/Petrochemical, Energy/Power, Agriculture, and Food industries. In that time, GVC has constantly strived to design and produce valves and controls offering exceptional reliability, low emissions, easy maintenance, and the lowest total cost in the industry.

Laura has been mentoring and supporting other female entrepreneurs, whether in her industry or not, with all her dedication. “Promoting their businesses, utilizing my network to introduce them to key people, as well as offering business advice (if asked) are my three main contributions to helping them achieve more success,” explains Laura. “I recently launched BSB ThreadZ, a group of 5 female entrepreneurs with synergistic businesses, allowing us to a joint venture and promote each other. The term ThreadZ has a multi-level meaning of networking, socializing, clothing and PDO threads (an aesthetic suture that lifts the skin).”

When asked how Laura inspires her team, she quickly replies: with daily affirmations and a lot of coaching and training! The pioneering leader determines their best attributes and provides opportunities for those attributes to shine. She challenges them to reach higher goals and enables them to envision their future. “I can’t stress enough that when my team members succeed, I succeed, and my company succeeds. I appreciate my team members, and I work for them just as much as they do for me. I will always be their biggest cheerleader,” elucidates Laura. “I am still aiming at reaching success! There are always higher goals to reach, in personal and career, and I share this attitude with my team.”

GLOBAL Valve & Controls has been in business for 21 years, with Laura providing her guidance since 2008. "I always had a business mind. which my father recognized giving me the opportunity to work in the family business, at the tender age of 16. Upon reflection. I recognize that I have been developing into a leadership role " she says. "My management style has changed over the years as I have matured. For me, every day is a new day to learn something new to better myself and my skill set to share my knowledge with others.”

For Laura, there isn’t just one achievement that has led to GVC’s current success. It’s an accumulation of many accomplishments that include hiring the right people, meeting the right people at the right time, and a lot of dedication and patience to be placed on the significant approved manufacturer’s lists of midstream corporations and distribution companies. “But, if I had to choose one achievement, it would be the achievement of our API6D licensure. Every year, the regulations and guidelines become more stringent so the second achievement would be maintaining the licensure for the past 11 years.

Since Covid, we have had to downsize considerably. My goal is to be able to recover and return to our former glory, pre-Covid,” asserts Laura.

For the days to come, Laura wants to build the organization to the best of her abilities. She wants to take her team and herself to the next level of success and sees tremendous potential in the organization. “I want to fully train my current “mentee” to step into my position so I can solely focus on BSB. I am very confident that GVC is the only valve manufacturing company that also provides aesthetics. It’s definitely a unique niche,” she says. “An insight I would like to share with other women is that its never too late to achieve your biggest goals, especially if the goals are based on what they are truly passionate about. Second, success begins with a thought. Success is empowered with a vision. To be a true leader, you have to also experience failure, because without failure, there can be no sharpening of problem solving skills.” WL