I am brand-new to the perishables industry (six weeks to be exact) and as my boss enthusiastically explained, attending the 2014 Produce Marketing Association Foundation Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference in Phoenix would be my “baptism by fire” — nothing like jumping in headfirst to get acclimated to the water.

I had never been to a women’s conference, having worked for a large public company where most trainings were internal, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I did not attend the pre-conference sessions so my first glimpse of what was in store was Monday’s breakfast. I was a bit apprehensive walking in (I’m a low B on the Predictive Index — more on that later) and a room filled with 200 unknown women is uncomfortable for me, but I took a deep breath, grabbed some delicious food and headed to an open seat. Right away everyone welcomed me at the table and my reservations were immediately put to rest. This set the tone for the entire conference and between the general sessions and breakouts I met only warm, intelligent, highly passionate women with whom I quickly felt a kinship.

Melissa Crombet-DusharmThe majority of the women I met worked for produce companies, handling everything from fruits, to salad, to onions and potatoes. I believe I met the whole gamut. Despite the fact that I didn’t meet anyone else from the floral industry, it was apparent that the business challenges we face are universal. From negotiating with vendors, to meeting customer needs, to tight turnaround times, we can all empathize, but more important, we shared in common the challenges we often face maneuvering in a male-dominated industry. Here is where the PMA hit the nail on the head and each session was geared toward tackling the common struggles women face as we climb the ranks and grow our careers.

We did exercises to identify our default behaviors and communication styles (hence my earlier Predictive Index reference) and how to adapt them in order to achieve desired outcomes. We had breakout sessions on presence and personal brand, heard insights from a panel of three highly accomplished women in the industry, reviewed strategies for successful negotiations, practiced using our abilities to influence peers, learned about emotional intelligence and how it inspires followership, career pathing, strategic thinking and how to lead change. Talk about amazing and truly relevant content in today’s fast and ever-changing business environment.

The catchphrase used throughout the conference was “Women Are Good For Business,” and I couldn’t help but feel at the end of my two days in Phoenix that we sure as heck are.

Melissa Crombet-Dusharm is director of strategic planning for Esprit Miami. She can be contacted at [email protected].