This is the eighth installment in our ongoing ‘Meet the Parklane Team’ Q&A blog series. In this installment, we introduce you to our Accounting Manager Dianne Goldsmith.
In any fast-growing business, there are team members whose role is integral to the development and delivery of products and services. Some design those products directly, while others are the backbone behind the infrastructure that keeps the company operating efficiently. They manage everything from accounts to logistics and ensure that when supplies are needed or bills need to be paid, those tasks are addressed in a timely manner. Without them, the business wouldn’t function as smoothly. At Parklane, Dianne Goldsmith is one of those team members.
In this installment of the ‘Meet the Parklane Team’ blog series, we offer a glimpse into Dianne’s everyday role, what she enjoys most about the company and offer a few insights into what she does in her spare time when she’s not keeping our accounts—and many other functions—in order.
Key info
Team member: Dianne Goldsmith
Position: Accounting Manager
Education: Dianne’s career as an accounting professional began during high school working with her family. As one of Parklane’s first front-office hires, her real-world experience in everything from full-cycle bookkeeping to client relations and human resources management has made Dianne an indispensable—and longstanding—member of our team.
When she’s away from the office: Dianne has been volunteering with fundraising for Radius Child & Youth Services for many years. It’s important to her to support her community, wherever her family lives. Outside the office Dianne loves to be with family, especially playing board games, piecing another quilt, or working in the garden as time and weather allow.
Can you tell us about your professional background?
Prior to starting at Parklane a little more than seven years ago, I began my career with a great mentor in property management accounting, then after a pause for kids and several relocations, I had the opportunity to work in several different industries because numbers are always the same language. Now, I have insight into a range of sectors including non-profit, B2B supply chain, the floral industry, office equipment sales and service, online retail, clergy, paramedical services, engineering and manufacturing.
What’s your current role on the Parklane team?
I’m the Accounting Manager, but I also operate our administration department. I handle invoicing, payroll, health and safety compliance, office administration and other responsibilities like managing hotel bookings for our sales and leadership teams when they travel to the U.S. or across Canada. Basically, anything that lands outside of other managers’ scope ends up with me and I take care of it.
I also handle many of our human resources duties. That means I’m involved in our recruitment process, often as one of the first people in our company to meet with new job candidates. My role is to screen prospective employees after reviewing their resumes and explaining some of the details about our business and workplace culture.
How does your prior experience relate to this current role at Parklane?
I would say that beyond the technical accounting similarities, the variety of industries and people I’ve worked with along the way—combined with moving my family several times—has provided me with great perspective to see past obstacles and find other ways to accomplish goals, personally and as part of our team. No two days are the same at Parklane and there are always several mini-projects, plus ongoing tasks, that need to be completed. It’s busy, but it’s also a fun, fast-paced environment to work in.
What drew you to Parklane?
When I first came to Parklane in 2015, the manufacturing part of the business was well oiled, and Greg was providing the engineering skills. Matt had recently joined his father and begun next-level growth. The enthusiasm and passion for this company that they presented then, and still do, is a powerful force. I wanted to be part of that and be the one to help build internal processes to help them propel their business forward. There’s real momentum here that I haven’t seen in other workplaces.
What appealed to me early on was that speed and adaptability. We’re perfectionists and there’s a real culture of doing whatever it takes to get the job done right. I quickly realized there’s something truly special about Parklane.
What do you think is the most unique feature of Parklane’s culture?
It’s a very happy, productive work environment. From the time I joined there’s always been a lot of excitement about the future of the company. Having been here longer than most, I can say that everyone liked working together in those early days, and that hasn’t changed as we’ve grown. One of the reasons is that we intentionally celebrate each other’s successes.
There’s also a genuine curiosity at Parklane. We care and want to learn more about ourselves and each other and how we can contribute. Luckily, we have some interesting team members, and we never stop sharing ideas. No one is shy to ask for help or to offer it, because they know their colleagues will be receptive and ready to step up when their help is needed.
Need to reach a Parklane team member to discuss your noise and vibration control challenges? Contact us now.