Meet Your Partners in Growth Series: Lisa Salinas

Lisa Salinas, Accounting Clerk and DMV Admin

Lisa Salinas is the definition of a self-starter. Throughout her career, Lisa has never been afraid of a challenge and has always loved to learn, grow and try new things. From her roots growing up the daughter of a Kirby Vacuum salesman to her role at Holloway for the past seven years as our Accounting Clerk and DMV Admin, Lisa dives all in.

Lisa grew up in Bakersfield where her dad and mom had a Kirby sales office on Chester Ave & 11th St., where it still is to this day. Her parents met at the office when they were both 19 years-old and were married for 51 years.

“I spent my childhood in the Kirby office,” Lisa remembers. “My dad would take me to in-home demonstrations as a kid and watched him sell many Kirby’s that way. It was a family business and when I was older, I went to work for my dad too. It was my whole life!”

But there was no special treatment. Lisa’s mother and father believed in fairness and that she had to start at the bottom and work her way up, just like anyone else. Which suited Lisa just fine.

“With my dad, there was no cutting corners, but I learned so much more that way,” she says. “I literally had to learn how to do everything starting with knocking on doors. I got promoted through hard work and results and eventually moved up to become the number one sales recruiter in the ‘Sunshine Division’ which was all of Southern California, Arizona & Nevada.”

Lisa had a knack for sales because she genuinely likes people. As a trainer and recruiter for the Kirby sales team, she got the unique experience of coming up in a motivational culture that provided all the tools for success. As a self-starter, Lisa knew that success was only incumbent on how much you were willing to hustle. At only 22 years old she met her husband and “recruited” him into the business. The two of them became a power team and were promoted to their own office as Factory Distributors just two years later. Lisa and her husband ran their own Kirby office for 10 years.

During this time, they had an accountant who managed their books, payroll, sales tax, etc. and Lisa was determined to learn how to do every part of their business and developed a curiosity for accounting.

“Our accountant was willing to teach me what she did,” Lisa says. “She said, ‘If you are willing to come in Saturday mornings I will teach you QuickBooks, how to do your own payroll, and everything.’ So, I’d spend the better part of Saturdays with her, learning and expanding my skill set. I will always be grateful for what she taught me!”

Lisa says she never meant to go into an accounting roll, but she developed a real talent for it. She continued to learn and self-teach after her mentor had shared her knowledge. After Lisa and her husband decided to start a family, this would eventually lead to her leaving the Kirby business and taking her first accounting position with another company in Bakersfield.

“When my husband and I decided that we were going to close our business and move into the next chapter in our lives, it was a decision that we didn’t take lightly. I will always be grateful for my experiences with Kirby, but after running your own business and starting a family, the time and sacrifices it takes, I was ready to move on, and I needed to decide what was next for me,” Lisa says. “The skills I had acquired in accounting helped make that decision easier. It is an area where I naturally excelled.”

“Working for someone else after being self-employed for years was quite an adjustment,” she remembers. After a few years in a full-time accounting clerk position, the controller from Holloway saw her profile and work history on LinkedIn and reached out.

“I wasn’t looking for a new position, but the controller reached out on LinkedIn and asked if I would be interested in interviewing for an accounting position with Holloway, and I thought it sounded like a great opportunity,” Lisa smiles. “So, I interviewed with Vard Terry and Dan Allen, and what Holloway had presented me with was just too good to pass up. They were a growing company with lots of opportunity, room for growth, and they had this family environment that you don’t often find, which excited me. Accepting the position with Holloway has been a game changer for me, my family and my future.”

When Lisa started with Holloway more than seven years ago, the company only had three business units and now Holloway has seven with more in development all the time. This has allowed Lisa the opportunity to grow and evolve her role over the years – something a go-getter likes and needs to stay excited and engaged.

As the company has grown, her role has also expanded from accounts payable to also including but not limited to, DMV management. Not a small task when you consider Holloway has over 200 units to keep track of! These include everything from work trucks to utility trailers to Freightliners.

“Holloway has really grown over the years and it has been a pleasure to work for such a wonderful company, with wonderful leadership,” Lisa says. “Brian Maxted our CEO has an ambitious vision for Holloway and has done a tremendous job of focusing on our organizations culture and environment along the way. I’m so happy to be here and absolutely love the people I work with! I can honestly say that we all genuinely like each other too!” Lisa laughs. “I find that to be rare in most companies.”

Always a self-taught, self-starter, Lisa is now completing her formal education with the support of Holloway. She is currently working on getting her degree in accounting and business admin. “Holloway has offered me a tremendous opportunity in supporting me in getting my degree,” Lisa says. “I feel very blessed and grateful.

When Lisa is not paying our vendors or keeping track of our variety of vehicles, you can find her hanging out with friends and family. She has been married to her husband for more than 20 years and they have three daughters and two grandsons. They love to travel and can often be found parked at the coast in their trailer with their two huskies. And if you are looking for a good BBQ or Superbowl party, look no further than the Salinas’ household.

“I love a good bar-be-que! Hosting one, going to one, it doesn’t matter as long as we are with our friends who are like family,” Lisa smiles.

And she and her family are huge 49ers fans. Their entire garage is dedicated to football and the 49ers, down to the pool table that is red and gold!

“Some people throw big holiday or new year’s parties – not us. It has always a big annual Superbowl party and football parties all the way!” Lisa says.

Well just tell us what time to be there and we’ll bring the dip!