Champion.
Though there are many ways to define the word, one definition rings true for many of the women leaders throughout Lowe’s:
Champion |’CHampéen| Noun
: a person who fights or argues on behalf of someone else.
During Lowe’s annual Women’s Leadership Summit this week, Lowe’s asked women in the company what they think it means to be a champion. Answers ranged from ‘someone who helps others climb the corporate ladder’, to ‘a shoulder to lean on with not just professional challenges but personal as well’.
The company highlighted several female leaders throughout the summit, but one champion stood out: Ebony Wheeler. Wheeler is a store manager of Lowe’s store 1849 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wheeler started her career with Lowe’s in 2014 through the store manager training program.
Several years later, Wheeler became the only Black female store manager in her region at the time. As Wheeler works to make strides at Lowe’s, she says she wants to make sure others grow with her.
“My big thing is that I've promoted a ton of folks, which is life-changing, not only for them, but also for their family,” Wheeler said.
Before the Women’s Leadership Summit, Wheeler said she wasn’t aware of the impact she has had on the company and the people she works with. Most notably, her success in helping others rise to the ranks of store manager.
“I don't really consider myself a champion. Someone noticed me when I was coming up,” Wheeler said when asked about her career with Lowe’s. “The only way I can give back and have purpose and feel good at night is to do the same for somebody else.”
Damien Palmer and Bill Snyder are just two of many associates Wheeler has helped become Lowe’s store managers. Palmer and Snyder both say her impact has gone far beyond their professional careers.
“I call her still to this day, every day, asking her for advice with different things and she's always on first ring,” said Palmer. “I'm just privileged to have met her, privileged to work with her and [for] her.”
“She was able to help me recently with a couple personal things from home life stuff and she was one of the first I reached out to because I knew she would be there to support me and give me advice,” said Snyder. “Every single day in one form or another, we’re connecting with each other.”
The relationships you build... they last forever.
“And other people see it and it impacts them as well, so not just the two people working together, it’s everyone around them that benefits from those relationships," added Wheeler. "That’s what it means to me to celebrate a champion.”
