Kerry Siggins is a visionary and a disruptive CEO.
Kerry Siggins - Chief Executive Officer of StoneAge Waterblast Tools
She has a unique ability to take complex problems and break them down into manageable action items that propel its strategy forward. Her crystal-clear vision for the company allows her to see opportunities that others don’t and make bold moves that put StoneAge at the forefront of the industry. Kerry is also inspiring; she moves her team into action by being radically transparent, highly communicative, and generous.
Kerry’s purpose and passion are to inspire and develop exceptional leaders. She openly shares her struggles and triumphs in a way that’s relatable, actionable, and raw. Through storytelling, listening, and mentoring, she teaches the value of being honest about your shortcomings, building self-confidence, and making bold moves. Her advice to leaders and entrepreneurs is, “it’s okay to have self-doubt but not let it hold you back. Use it as fuel to understand yourself better and then act. When you push through self-doubt, you learn that you can do hard things and that even if there are missteps along the way, what you learn about yourself and what you achieve will pay dividends in the future.”
To help leaders who want to be exceptional at what they do, Kerry writes, speaks, and hosts a podcast called Reflect Forward: Conversations on Leadership with Kerry Siggins. Her work can be found in many publications including, Forbes, Authority Magazine, Times of Entrepreneurship, BIC Magazine, and more.
Kerry’s mother, Sue Petranek—a single mother of two who raised Kerry and her brother in rural Colorado, working two or three jobs to create a better life for her family—is her inspiration. When Kerry was 12, her mother decided to go back to college to get a teaching degree and drove 60 miles each way to attend college while maintaining two jobs. Kerry’s mother inspired her to work hard, be herself, and follow her dreams. Her mother supported her in her darkest moments, which allowed Kerry to overcome her daemons and create a life that led to her leadership role at StoneAge.
StoneAge was born for two reasons: to help solve challenging industry problems and create engaging and rewarding jobs for its employees. StoneAge’s first product was intended for use in the mining industry – it was a water jet drill used to drill holes for explosives in uranium mining applications. When the Three Mile Accident happened in the late ’70s, nuclear power generation halted, and there was no longer a market for the tool. The founders pivoted when they met an industrial cleaning contractor who said, “If you can drill holes in the rock, you can drill out the fouling in the heat exchanger!” “That’s how we moved from mining to industrial cleaning. We are now the world’s leading manufacturer of waterblasting tooling and automated equipment for industrial cleaning applications,” says Kerry. “Think squirt guns on steroids. We are also an employee-owned company which means that our employees share in the company's success through an ESOP benefit. We’ve created a culture where people feel valued and a part of something bigger than themselves -where we all feel purpose in our work.”
The company’s primary focus is solving customer problems and creating a workplace where people care deeply about providing customers great products and excellent service. “Because our employees are owners, they are invested in our customer’s success, which makes a huge difference,” says Kerry. “We differentiate ourselves by our unique combination of high-quality, easy-to-use products, exceptional customer service, and brilliant, hard-working employees. We also take calculated risks that advance our vision for the company and work hard not to be distracted by opportunities that take our focus off our most important strategic initiatives.”
The company is rolling out a digital customer experience platform that will change the way the industry works, and their newest product, the SentinelTM Automation Technology, produces data that the customers can analyze, improving cleaning quality and accuracy. “We are excited about the launch of Sentinel Automation Technology. Sentinel Automation Technology is a CE-certified system that enables automated exchanger tube cleaning with the AutoBox 3L tractor and makes tube cleaning applications remarkably faster, safer, and more precise. It’s going to be an industry game-changer,” adds Kerry.
