Celebrating the Women of McSteen
In October, the National Women’s Business Council honors the hard work of women and particularly those who are business owners through its celebration of National Women’s Small Business Month. At McSteen, we are immensely proud of the fact that women are an integral part of the past, present, and future of our company.
So what better time than now to meet the women in leadership roles with McSteen …
Debbie Feller, CPA (inactive), Chairman of the Board
As the former CEO of McSteen Land Surveyors and now as the Chairman of the Board, Debbie Feller has been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the success we continue to enjoy at McSteen. We had the opportunity to talk with Debbie earlier this year about her career with McSteen that has spanned nearly three decades.
When she reflected on how they built success in the early years of the family ownership of McSteen, she says, “We all found strength in our roles and confidence in each other in the specific skills each of us brought to the table.”
When we asked Debbie how she managed to establish herself as a leader in what many might consider a male-dominated industry, she simply states, “I’ve always been confident in my ability to find a solution.”
Current McSteen CEO, Kevin Woeste, notes, “efficient workflow is the key to making life easier in production and making the company more efficient overall,” and credits Debbie for “instilling this culture in McSteen during her years leading the operations of the company.”
Debbie graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA inactive). In addition to her role with McSteen over the years, she is a Past President of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Cleveland, a member of the YWCA Advisory Council, the ACE Advisory Council, and sits on the Board of Directors for Notre Dame Schools.
Molly Woeste, CPA, President
The current President of McSteen, Molly Woeste joined the company in 2015 along with her husband, Kevin, making them the third generation of the Feller family to lead McSteen. Molly is incredibly proud of her family’s history in growing McSteen to what it is today, but always has an eye towards the future and further expanding McSteen.
When talking about McSteen, Molly is always quick to credit the success they have experienced to the work of the employees. “At McSteen we’ve prided ourselves on service for 50 years, but we’ve also prided ourselves on putting the well-being of our employees first.” This is a formula for success, as she notes, “We’ve always felt those two things paired very nicely; prioritize your people, and they, in turn, will prioritize your clients.”
Growing up in the family business, Molly has been measuring houses since she was old enough to walk, compensated she says, “in ice cream cones (sprinkles included).” She graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Accounting and an MBA and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is also pretty proud of the title “Mom”, given to her by her and Kevin’s two children, Mae and Archie.
Maureen Feller, COO
Joining McSteen in 2017, Maureen Feller brought her experience of managing a department having $2M in annual sales and a team of 15 people in her role with Aramark as the on-site Catering Manager for the largest hospital in Houston. Of course, growing up in the family business, she too has a lifetime of exposure to the surveying industry.
As for how she sees the work being done at McSteen, Maureen says, “Our goal is to be seen in the market as forward-thinking, progressive, and aspirational.” It is important to her personally, as well as in her role of recruiting for McSteen, that the company is able to differentiate itself.
They do this, she says, by utilizing the latest tools and technology available in all aspects of the company. “Our team is by far our greatest asset. So recruiting them with the best tools and offerings helps us not only acquire great talent but keep them for years to come.”
Graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Environmental Health, Maureen is also an all-star baker and her carrot cake has been referred to as “best freshly baked carrot cake you’ve ever had.” Seriously, it is that good.
At McSteen Land Surveyors, we are proud to be a 3rd-generation family-owned business, providing services throughout all 88 counties of Ohio. As we reflect on our history during this National Women’s Small Business Month, we can’t help but to be excited about what we see in our future and all the women and men who are helping us get there.