Hello and welcome to "Your South Florida."

I'm your guest host, Arlene Borenstein.

March's Women's History Month, and today we're introducing you to three local women that have paved their way in traditionally male-dominated industries.

In 2022, Samantha Whitehorne became the first Black woman district fire chief for the Broward Sheriff's Office.

We met up with Chief Whitehorne at her district fire station in Deerfield Beach to hear what it took for her to rise through the ranks and her advice to women looking to follow in her footsteps.

Welcome to Fire Station 102.

This is our movie theater.

This is where all the magic happens.

The magic?

Yes.

This is our staff personnel, Daley.

Our battalion chief, Williamson.

My fearless leader.

Hi, how are you?

We solve world problems right here.

My career began in fire back in 1998 where I met an individual that was in the fire service.

And I asked the question, "Do you think I could do this?"

And his response to me was, "No."

And I asked, "Well, why?"

He said, "Because you're female and you're Black."

You know, I'm not sure the reason he said that, but it motivated me to go after the career.

I knew nothing about it.

Coming from the islands, we don't have a fire department like this, like in this country, but it motivated me to pursue and see what it had to offer.

I was raised in Jamaica.

I was raised by a farmer, Roy Whitehorne, and my mother, Rosemary Thorny, who was a housewife, and eventually became a secretary.

But my dad instilled in me the value of hard work.

Being on the farm, I had to get up each morning before going to school and do whatever chores he assigned to me, and that's how I made my allowance.

It instilled in me completing a task each day.

And then my mom, there are things that she would make me do before leaving the house, such as making my bed, saying my prayers.

And those things carried through life for me and I do them still to this day, and I complete things.

At least I get something completed as soon as I get out of bed.

So my mom and my dad are the ones that really instilled the values that made me who I am today.

I started my career in the city of Deerfield Beach who welcomed me, thank god, in 2000.

July, 10th of 2000, I started here.

It was then Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue.

We merged with BSO in 2011.

As a firefighter entry level, I had no idea what I was getting into.

Again, someone told me I couldn't do it.

It's not like I always desired to do that.

But I rose to the challenge.

And after coming here, the warmth, the welcome, and the support that I received, I said, "I must, I have to follow through."

And so in 2006, I became a lieutenant, which was my first promotion.

I was a lieutenant since 2006 to 2022 when I was promoted to district fire chief.

This is the living areas.

This station, we have daily 11 operation on duty, but we can upstaff a total of 25 in the event we have a catastrophic event such as a hurricane or whatever incident may happen.

So we could upstaff to 25 personnel.

In 2008, I was in a horrific accident where I broke my femur, multiple bones, was hospitalized for three days.

And I thought to myself, "Well, if this becomes the end of my career as a firefighter, then what?"

So I had to have a backup plan.

Thank God I was able to overcome the injuries and return back to full duty five months later.

But in the meantime, I pursued becoming nurse.

And after becoming a nurse, I liked it so much, I wanted to take it a step further, then I became a nurse practitioner years later.

About a few months ago, a gentleman stopped me in the hallway.

He had his two little girls with him.

And he took the time to say, "Hey, girls, I want you to meet the fire chief."

"And not only is she's the fire chief, she's also a nurse practitioner."

And the fact that he looked at me as someone that he wants his young girls to look up to, to say, "Hey, you can achieve whatever it is that you set out to be," it tells me that I made the right choice, it tells me that I'm where I need to be, it tells me that I'm following the path that was meant for me.

I do not view being a female and the firefighters measuring up to a man because the standards, the industry standards are not set for a man.

They're set for anyone who can pass them, meet the requirements, have the certification, and get it hired.

So, no, I will not look at myself that I need to measure up to a man.

No, I need to be able to perform the job, duties, and responsibilities of firefighter.

And clearly, I met the criteria because I was hired.

So this is the bay area.

We have air compressor, the gym is on the second floor, extra hose and nozzles that we may need.

These are the two engines.

Being the district chief is not just making sure that the men and women have what they need to go out to serve the community the best of their abilities, it's relationships that I built with the electives, the city manager, the city staff.

It's managing a rather large budget.

It's dynamic, it's complex, but I love it.

I would say the most difficult part of my job is making sure I'm doing the right thing for the men and women 'cause I make those decisions.

I'm a part of that decision.

I wanna make sure I'm doing what's right, what's safe, what's ethical, what's moral, and also for the community.

And I reflect starting in this city 24 years ago as a firefighter, to know that I'm the district chief today, it humbles me.

I'm very happy and proud to be in the position to be able to provide for the men and women to go out to do the awesome job that they do every day and to serve the citizens 'cause they deserve the best.

It's important for me to share my story with younger girls because I want them to know that, yes, life has obstacles and challenges, but with hard work, dedication, and your commitment, there isn't anything you cannot overcome.

And my story's not just for girls, it's for anyone who faces a challenge.

Go after it, be diligent, commit yourself, and don't let anything or anyone stop you because it can be achieved.

And I'm living proof of that.

After a decadelong career in education, our next guest discovered the world of transportation and hasn't looked back, becoming a freight broker and founding her own company, Tru Logistics.

Trudie Ives, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much for having me.

So, you took a leap.

You were a teacher for almost a decade, or a decade, and then you threw that away in the best way to follow your heart, your dream, a gut feeling you had.

Tell us about that.

Yeah, it was honestly definitely a surprise for me because I always thought that education was set in stone.

I had amazing teachers when I was in high school, Mr. Hubbs, Ms. Tobin, Mr. Merfidie.

I can still remember.

And I wanted to emulate that.

And I had wonderful experiences in the classroom and I had, I created bonds with my students, and it was absolutely amazing.

But timing in life is everything.

Yeah.

Yeah, I had...

I always had transportation somewhere in my life, right?

My uncle was a tractor trailer, a driver in Jamaica.

And up here, he owned a trucking company, a towing company.

And I even met a lady who had her own international shipping business, which I was completely intrigued by, but I didn't think twice about it.

It wasn't until my husband decided to start his own trucking business that I was like, "Oh, this is new."

Yeah.

Yeah.

[Arlene] And it was relatable.

Absolutely, definitely.

And during spring break, he would say, "Hey, let's go on the road."

So I would go on the road with him and I learned how to load a vehicle onto a trailer, how to strap it down.

And I loved it so much that I actually got my CDL, which is my commercial driver's license.

So I can actually drive those tractor trailers if I wanted to.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

So it was definitely a wonderful experience, but I gravitated more towards the logistics side, which is behind the scenes.

And that's how I started my business.

And I can't think of a more male-dominated industry than, you know, freight brokering and truck driving and things of that nature because you don't hear about women behind the wheel or even having anything to do with that industry.

So tell me more about, what exactly does a freight broker do?

Yeah, so a freight broker is essentially like the middle-man, or in my case, the middle-woman.

So we basically arrange transportation for shippers.

So we just help them ship their goods from point A to point B.

A lot of people don't think about it, but your groceries.

Oh wow.

Right?

Your clothes that you wear, those are being transported in vehicles and in tractor trailers.

And in my case, we specialize in transporting autos.

Right, so only auto transport.

Correct.

What does your clientele look like?

Is it high end or is it just anybody who might need a ride, they're moving, you know?

Yeah, there's definitely a range.

So we work with dealers, we work with snowbirds, we work with people who are purchasing vehicles from the auto auctions.

So it could be local, it could be throughout the United States.

And a lot of our clients are local movers or people that are moving from one state to the next.

And when you're moving, there's just so much going on that you don't wanna be bothered with driving from state to state.

And so we just pick their vehicles up and deliver it.

So it's one less thing for them to worry about.

And I can just sit here and imagine all the potential challenges you faced in this male-dominated industry.

Starting a business, you had never started one before.

Being a teacher, what were the challenges that you had to sort of figure out?

Yeah, there were definitely some challenges I had to navigate.

The first thing was letting my family know that I was leaving teaching to start a business.

They were surprised, to say the least.

So that was definitely a challenge.

But also, you know, tapping into an industry that I'm new, right?

I went to school to be an educator and now I'm doing something completely different.

So I had to research.

I try to reach out to people who are also brokers so I can learn.

I even worked at a brokerage so I can just have a little bit of experience.

And, of course, we're in many hats, right?

When you're an entrepreneur, you're balancing so many things.

And so you're able to hire, you know, employees that can take on some of those roles.

So, definitely challenges along the way.

What was that spark inside of you that, you know, you have this career, "I'm going to leave it behind."

You probably already knew your family was going to take issue with it 'cause they're looking out for you.

Of course.

What was that inspiration, that energy that kept you going?

I...

It was completely new for me, right?

I've always done things calculated.

I knew what I wanted, I knew I wanted to go to college, I knew I wanted to be an educator.

So this is a huge risk, but I just had that feeling inside, that intuition, that was like, "Do this," "Try it," you know, "Go out in a leap."

And I followed it because I've noticed in life that when I follow that little voice in my head, I usually can't go wrong, so... And if you don't follow it, that maybe not so good.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Definitely some issues along the way.

Right.

And what was, you know, one of the things that I think someone going into something new, what happens is, you learn a lot about yourself.

So tell me about that.

What did you learn potentially about yourself that you didn't know before?

Good, bad, great.

Yeah, so, I definitely struggled with imposter syndrome for a while because, you know, I've had situations where I'm dealing with a carrier or a shipper and they're like, "Well, I wanna speak to the boss."

And I'm like, "But I am the boss," you know?

And they assume that it's a male.

Or in situations where, you know, you have to have your numbers in order.

Because at the end of the day, this is a cyclical business, right?

So definitely a lot of learning experiences for me.

Well, who's your biggest cheerleader, right?

Everyone needs one.

Yes.

Without a doubt, that's my husband.

From the day I told him, I was like, "I really like this broker thing, I love working with people, I have a passion for helping people."

I was like, "I wanna start this business."

And he just said, "Go for it."

Like, there was just no doubt in his mind that I couldn't accomplish whatever it was that I set my mind to.

So, he is... My husband, Richard, is the best.

That must mean a lot to you.

It says a lot about him too.

Absolutely.

I'm definitely very grateful and very blessed to have him by my side.

He is literally my partner, my rock, if you will.

I love that.

I love that.

And you are giving me some insider information that we will detail.

However, you bring a little something to the industry that other people don't.

Yes, there is unfortunately a culture, a little bit of negativity with the culture of brokers.

There's a lot of, a little bit of predatory practices.

And I definitely didn't want that in my business.

My business is Tru Logistics for a reason, right?

It's trust, reliability, and understanding.

And I'm passionate about helping people.

And to be honest, a lot of my customers are referrals, right?

"You ship my neighbor's car for me."

"My daughter's going back to college and she needs her vehicle shipped.

Can you help?"

And once my customers say, can you help, and they know that we can do that for them, it just builds from there, so...

I love it.

And another reason why we loved you for our segment today based on Women's History Month, is that you're an advocate and on the board as advocacy chair for the National Association of Womens Business Owners.

So bravo to you for putting in that time.

Tell us about that and how they've also helped you and your business, and what's your role and your mission.

Of course, so NAWBO like you said, is the National Association of Women Business Owners.

They've been around since 1975.

And their mission is to basically empower women business owners, whether that's economically, socially, or politically.

And they are 60 chapters strong.

I'm a part of the South Florida chapter.

We encompass Miami-Dade, West Palm Beach, Broward County, and that's an extended support system, right?

Because you have other business owners that understand the challenges that you go through.

And we're there to help each other and build each other up.

And I am the advocacy chair.

And as such, I listen to the concerns that our local members have, and I take that back to the national level.

And they try to make changes with legislation and, you know, help out women business owners.

How does NAWBO support local businesses here, the chapter that you are a part of?

You mentioned that they do take it back to their corporate office.

So tell us a little bit more about that and workshops, events, things of that nature.

Yeah.

Actually our main events is our monthly dinner meetings, which is always an educational topic that's relatable to women business owners.

That happens to second Thursday of every month.

We also have virtual meetings for those that can't make it out.

And there's networking events as well as far as little coffee meetups.

So, whatever we need, whatever our members need, we're there to support because we have women business owners that have been in business for a year, two years to 20 plus years.

So that experience is there, and they're able to offer insight for all of the members.

What's your advice to women that want to succeed in their business that have these high hopes and sometimes doesn't always work out, but what would be your advice?

I would... Can I say two things?

You can say everything.

I would definitely say align yourself with likeminded individuals because that's really important.

And, of course, define success on your own terms, right?

Because it could be making six figures, making seven figures, it could be just having a work life balance, right?

So define what success looks like to you.

And then if you have a little voice in your head saying, "Go for it," then go for it.

You can't go wrong.

Trudie Ives, so much insight and inspiration too.

And you're also helping other women out there, so thank you so much for being here and sharing your story.

Thank you so much for having me.

From real estate to costume rentals, Marilyn Wick has spent her life blazing a trail in the business world.

Now celebrating 10 years as owner of the Wick Theatre and Costume Museum in Boca Raton, we spoke with Marilyn about how her fearlessness in business has led to a lifetime of success.

I was a divorced smother at age 22, and I had two little mouths to feed.

I had to go to work and I hadn't worked up until that time.

So here I was in Western Pennsylvania on a dirt road wondering, "What will I do?"

There was a little ad in the paper for a secretary.

I walked into this office and the guy said, "Do you type?"

And I lied.

I could type my name.

I said, "Yes."

He said, "Well, I just want someone here to answer the phones."

So I was there for a couple months.

It was a real estate office.

It was a one-man show.

He gave me the real estate book and he said, "Why don't you take your license?"

Within 10 days, I passed the test and now I'm selling real estate, and I wasn't making a penny.

So one day I opened the paper, and there it was an ad, sales consultants of Atlanta.

I walked in and the girl said, "We don't need a secretary."

And I said, "Oh, I came here for the sales consultants."

"We only hire men."

So I went in the restroom, I wrote a check for $2,500 that was going to bounce, handed her that check and I said, "Do you think someone would see me now?"

She looked at the check, jumped up off her seat, I got an interview.

So the guy when I walked in, he gave me back the check.

He said, "Well, that was a clever thing to do to get in the door."

I've never had anybody said they wouldn't hire a woman.

Why?

He said, "Well, we only sell men's products here."

Do you think you could sell tires?

What kind of tire do you have on your car?

I said, "Oh, I know the tire on my car."

He said, "Well, maybe I can get you in for a few job interviews."

And overnight, I was the only woman working for a reliable tire company, and that really made me feel good 'cause it opened the door for so many young women.

When I was doing all those in those places where men didn't want women, I never had a problem.

I mean, once they saw I was a real worker and that I would really do my share, men accepted me.

And I think it was because of my work ethic.

I was always striving to do better and I wanted to, I wanted to make money, and I was making a great living then.

But it made me grow up.

I was pretty brave but, like, I'll admit I was scared a lot.

I said, "God, I hope I can make it here," you know?

'Cause you go out there to sell, and then you don't sell anything.

I came here in 1972 and I swore I would not sell real estate.

I realized that I was a nervous wreck all the time 'cause I was so worried that I had no control over my finances.

And I realized as a single parent, as the breadwinner, I was going to have to be making some reasonable money.

The girls were getting older, they needed more things.

My girls came home from school one day and said, "Mom, you gotta bake some cookies."

"We gotta have a fabulous bizarre.

We're in charge of a booth and we've gotta fix the booth up at the holiday and sell, make money for the school."

So my housekeeper at the time said, "You know, in England, we all dressed in beautiful costumes and we would have a bazaar."

I said, "Well, let's call it a costume shop and rent a santa suit."

Well, there was no costume shops, there was no Santa suit.

So sure enough, we made the suit.

I'll put a little ad in the paper in the Boca News and I said, "We can rent the suits out for $25 and you kids can make money for Christmas."

Well, I was hooked.

I had more fun than they did.

I said, maybe we'll make a little costume shop this summer and I'll move my cleaning stuff back.

It was on Powerline Road.

And we'll just open a little store for the holiday.

Well, we did that.

I bought some retail products, we had like a handful of costumes, and that's how Costume World started.

Cats, very famous Broadway production.

Pretty soon, I was going around the country buying up old costume houses.

And I have to tell you, it was so much fun.

We made them all into Costume World stores.

And before I knew it, I had five stores.

We have one facility in Pompano Beach, Florida on Powerline Road.

It was going to be the theatrical division, but we turned it into a museum because in 2005, I bought the oldest costume house in New York City.

Then all of a sudden the Caldwell Theater came up for sale and they went under.

And it took us about six months.

We gutted the building and we all worked as a family to get it open.

Everybody committed to hell.

and we finally got the place open and we are so proud of it 'cause it's such a treasure for the community.

Just beautiful 42nd Street, the Dames number, the original Broadway works and the revival.

Aren't they gorgeous?

We keep adding on.

So now we have 150 original Broadway works in our collection.

We wanted to make it an incredible experience for people to take our collections and our knowledge of design and share it in this building so that it would be maybe a theater of back when you would go to the theater in New York and there were more places when you got out of the theater to sit down and enjoy yourself.

That's why we started to do the cabarets.

So, if I was to describe the theater to someone, you would never be happier than when you leave because you're about to see and have an experience in an elegant place that shows you so many different things.

And we took every piece of our collection and shared it with people here.

And I think that's the most enjoyable part of it.

We put on first-class Broadway shows, we hire stars, and it really makes an absolute incredible experience for the audience that is in such an intimate setting.

There's only 350 seats.

There's not one bad seat in the place.

And you feel that you really are involved in what is happening on the stage.

And I think that's why this theater is such a treasure to the community.

We have the immersive museum now.

I said, "Let's got this place and let's make a different experience for people."

I'm a risk taker.

I wouldn't be absolutely nowhere in my life today if I hadn't taken risks.

And I wanna say to every young child, every young girl that has a dream, she can do that dream if she sticks with it.

I feel like I made it because I never gave up.

There were many moments when I wanted to throw the towel in, but I said, "Tomorrow will be better.

I've got to push through."

I mean, I've really gone through a lot of obstacles to make all of this happen.

For more on the women featured on today's show and ways to celebrate Women's History Month, follow us on Facebook at "YourSouthFL."

I'm Arlene Borenstein.

Thanks for watching.