Selina Moist, VP of Operations at Crownstone Equipment, emerged as a leader in construction despite lacking heavy equipment knowledge initially. She emphasizes teamwork, efficiency and continuous learning, showcasing unique leadership as a woman in the male-dominated field.
Selina Moist was born and raised in central Pennsylvania and is the eldest of five children and a born leader. Her aspirations and drive helped her quickly excel in her career and exchange her titles of field service dispatcher and purchasing agent and more. Today, she is vice president of operations of Crownstone Equipment.
Moist's career began when she graduated in 2002 with an associate's degree in business administration and management from York Technical Institute (now known as YTI Career Institute).
While she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to do, she knew she wanted to lead and help others to grow. She initially started her career in the retail industry, but after a few short years she determined it wasn't for her. When a friend suggested she apply to a local Cat dealer, Cleveland Brothers, as a service dispatch administrator, she took a chance and applied.
"I didn't know anything about heavy equipment," she said. "I couldn't tell you the difference between a haul truck and a skid steer."
Nonetheless, she got the job and began her career in construction. A year later, however, she left for a job closer to the beach. After six years of working for an airline and elevator business near Ocean City, Md., Moist returned back home to central Pa. to help care for her father after he became ill.
After relocating, Moist returned to Cleveland Brothers, but found herself in a new role as a service administrator for its trucking division. With a vision to become well-rounded and gain a sense of understanding for a company's operations and what it takes to run a dealership, she quickly moved to a purchasing agent position and was promoted shortly thereafter.
Years later, she transitioned to Groff Tractor in 2019 and was quickly promoted to the director of quality assurance and training. Most recently, Moist interviewed with the CEO at Crownstone Equipment and received a job offer for vice president of operations on the spot.
Now, Moist oversees service, parts and rentals for Crownstone Equipment, a prominent Bobcat dealer in Pennsylvania and Maryland with six locations. When she's not wrapped up in meetings, she's learning as much as she possibly can to improve the business — whether that means working the parts counter with her staff or completing work orders to look for improvements — Moist is committed to learning each role, ensure the most efficient processes are being used and to make the best decisions for the team she leads.
With a strong sense of teamwork and vision to collaborate with all employees, she is known for saying, "Individually, not one of us have the answers. As a team, we are strong."
One of her greatest accomplishments, which has helped her to develop a mindset of leadership and efficiency, was obtaining a Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Caterpillar. This rigorous, four-week program focused on minimizing waste and measuring project results. This taught Moist how to improve business processes, maximize profits and to ultimately lead others in an effective way, which helped her to grow and advance throughout her career.
Leading others drives Moist and fuels her passion as vice president.
"Being able to lead people is an opportunity I don't take for granted," she said. "I listen and take criticism seriously to improve myself and my team. Leadership matters and I wish more people would put an emphasis on that."
She also takes great pride in leading the construction industry as a woman.
"Being a woman in this industry is such an accomplishment," she said. "When my CEO asked me why I was the right person for this role, I told him, ‘Women offer something men don't. We lead differently, our organizational skills are different, we speak differently.' We offer something unique, and it is an honor to work in this field."
Moist encourages young women to "see all sides of the business and to develop yourself in a way that you can grow. Learn as much as you can, dig your heels in, block out all of the noise and have some grit. Don't be afraid to job hop and explore — there are a ton of opportunities in this industry for you."
She said her father's work ethic "was nothing short of admirable." She learned from a young age to work hard and put the time in to get the results she wanted. Today, she looks forward to continuing her career with Crownstone Equipment and plans to help others learn, grow and advance their own careers through leadership and mentorship.
Working in the construction field as a woman can pose many challenges, but it also offers countless opportunities of career growth and advancement, she added. No matter what a woman's role might look like in the construction field — whether it's managing operations or working the parts counter, operating machinery or fixing heavy equipment — women can offer creative, insightful and unique solutions in the workforce and ultimately help to further advance and transform the construction industry. CEG
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