Alicia Ricketts, a longtime employee with The Larson Group, says women shouldn’t be intimidated by a male-dominated business.
Alicia Ricketts works in Corporate Accounting at The Larson Group (TLG) and the dedicated employee has worn many hats in her career.
From starting in the Parts Department in January 1989 to answering phones, Alicia has worked her way up the ladder and is now one of the longest-employed women within the organization.
“I can’t imagine working anywhere else,” Alicia said. “I love working here. I love the people. It’s just kind of my thing. A lot of people would say, ‘I want to stay home’ or ‘I want to retire.’ But this is mine and I own it. I take pride in it and I love coming to work every day. I do.”
WORKPLACE REFLECTIONS
“When I started, we didn’t have e-mails. We had a fax machine. It was the old-style where it printed off on that thermal paper. Like, it was a roll of paper and it printed off on these big honkin’ rolls,” Alicia chuckled.
Of course, that print would fade and computerization became more standard. Ultimately, still, a lot has changed in not only technology but also the entire industry in the last three decades.
“When I first started working here, the industry was so different than what it is now,” Alicia emphasized. “We, at the time, did not sell a lot of fleets. It was a lot of owner-operators. And now, since we’ve grown and we’ve moved on, we do sell a lot of fleet trucks. And we still cater to our customers, just like we did in the beginning.”
It's safe to say, Alicia believes she has succeeded in what is well-known as a male-dominated industry.
She said, “Women are sometimes afraid of this industry because it is a male-oriented business. But there’s opportunity. Things are changing and I think that we are changing.”
Alicia, making it big in a man’s world, still manages to bring a keen sense of customer responsibility and insight on digital trends into the ever-changing workplace. And she may keep busy in a corporate office today, but that doesn’t stop her from empowering women to take on the transportation industry.
She said, “I think that the women that work here now are well-rounded. They’re very knowledgeable and I think that we’re given an opportunity – women are. And I think we need to take it and go and run with it.”
PRAISES THE LARSON FAMILY
While influencing women to enter a world of Peterbilt trucks is a passion, she can’t ignore how well TLG’s entire staff has done since joining the family in 1989.
“The employees that work here are so important, and they give so much in growing the company and listening to our customers,” said Alicia. “I think that’ s just the most important thing is to listen. Things have really just changed a lot. And I think we’ve rolled with it. We’ve done really well. We’ve done really well.”
Family-owned and family-oriented, Alicia considers the Larsons, “like my brothers.” And she feels the same about everyone else, no matter how far.
She said, “And I really would like for all the employees to feel like they’re part of the family because that’s important. For us to continue to be successful for another 30 years, I believe you have to have a firm base in your employees and trust your employees. And to stay on top of computer stuff. And staying on top of what’s going on in the industry. And reading up on what’s coming in the future.”