Page 452 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

how to drive a horse trailer, then go drive a horse trailer. No big deal. If you want to install a toilet, just do it. It doesn’t need any more thought than that. Just go do it. In hindsight, that’s really cool.”
Through the years, Erin’s analytical smarts, drive, and competitive spirit have helped her carve out a place in a traditionally male-dominated indus- try. “There have always been strong women in the Peterson and Doyle families,” says Goggin, men- tor and COO, “but with Erin, we have a woman that’s out in front. She has a real drive to make a contribution in what was, in past generations, principally considered a man’s business. There was
never really an intention for Erin to be an officer of the company. That wasn’t the original plan be- cause the world looked very different back when she and Junior were little kids.” But times have changed, and Erin has since earned her way to the top. “Erin is spectacular,” says Goggin. “I had no idea before that she was as ambitious or as driv- en as she is. And I didn’t really know she had this talent. She doesn’t think of herself as particularly smart, but she is. Her natural instincts for under- standing what’s important to her family and the legacy of the company is allowing the sibling team concept of leadership to work.” And Caterpillar is very pleased with the results.
LEVELING UP WITH CAT FINANCIAL SERVICES
In 2011, Peterson was still trying to recover from the Great Recession of 2007–2009. The compa- ny was going through a major reorganization and Mark MacGuidwin (CFO) was restructuring the finance area. “Mac came to me one day and asked who we had that could be his successor,” explains Goggin. “He had signed up for a five-year stint and wanted to start grooming his replacement. “‘That’s easy,’ I said. ‘You’ve got Erin. She’s a CPA. She’s got her credentials and she’s worked her way up through the company.’ ”
What MacGuidwin needed was a financial plan- ning analyst (FP&A) to help with all the plan- ning, budgeting and forecasting. “Before, we did one budget once a year and basically put it on the shelf,” says Erin. “Now we forecast every quarter so we know how we think the next quarter is going to look. And even into the next year. And then we can tweak it accordingly.”
Managing Peterson’s debt and banking relation- ships was a big part of her new job. And that involved building relationships with the Cat Fi- nance group, Peterson’s exclusive bank at the time. In 2015, when Peterson had to renegotiate its line
Top to bottom: Erin receives her 20 year service award, standing with her parents and mentor, Jeff Goggin in 2018; At boss Mark MacGuidwin’s retirement party (L-R) Kimie Pellizzaro, Julie Cunha & Erin Sorgel
in 2017.
450 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG