NOT SO RETIRED
Stein gave up TV for Wellington Chamber
Longtime viewers know Roxanne Stein as the morning TV news anchor at WPTV-5 who retired last spring.
She talked about looking forward to savoring a relaxed meal or two with her husband after getting up in the wee hours and chasing stories for 41 years on the air.
But so much for riding off into the sunset on her horse, Bamboo. The Penn State graduate with a degree in agriculture soon saddled up for a role as president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.
The village’s mayor is a woman, the chamber’s more than 400 members are younger and more of them are female than a decade ago, and Stein found herself saying yes when the opportunity arose.
“It’s a nice trend, isn’t it?” she said. “More and more women are getting out of school and going into business and getting to the top of the food chain and not staying in the middle ranks. They’re saying ‘I can do this on my own, I can open my own business.’”
The examples may come from health care, responsible for much of Wellington’s business growth lately, or small family businesses in pest control or fertilizers or concerns related to the village’s core equestrian community, but Stein brings her own perspective to it. Her aspirations evolved from wanting to become an agricultural extension agent to winding up one of the first females in the newsroom in early TV work in Pennsylvania.”
Maybe her current gig should not come as a big surprise since she has played active roles for more than a decade supporting chamber-sponsored festivals and events.
Among them: Flavors of Wellington, showcasing local cuisine, and WinterFest, “a signature event that is huge,” she says, boosted of late by alignment with rapper and DIY Network star Vanilla Ice, also known as Rob Van Winkle, a guy with longstanding ties to the village.
As Stein writes in her welcoming message on the chamber’s website, “We emphasize what makes Wellington stand out from other communities in order bring a competitive advantage to Wellington merchants.”
Name: Roxanne Stein
Age: Close to 63
Hometown: Born in West Virginia, grew up in Lancaster, Pa.
Where you live now: Wellington
About your organization: Iam president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. We’re an advocate for small business in the village. If you don’t have strong businesses in a community, you don’t have a strong community. I’ve been involved with the chamber for 10 years or longer.
How your business has changed: Demographically our members are younger. We have a very large female presence compared to 10 years ago, when we were comprised predominantly of older businessmen. Our largest market segment is health and wellness. Ten years ago, we were heavily saturated with real estate and mortgage professionals.
We have a female mayor and a lot of women are running their own businesses. I think it says a lot about our village and the diversity we offer.
First paying job and what you learned from it: I worked at a swimming pool supply store in Landisville, Pennsylvania, when I was 15 years old. This was my first real insight into the importance of accounts payable and billing. It was also my first hands-on experience with learning organizational skills, office politics and customer service.
I was making $1 an hour. It was maybe 1970. My first paycheck was something like $15. I thought I could go to Casual Corner and get a top. Or actually, when I think about it, I wanted to pay for a riding lesson.
The store was tough on customers who were behind on paying their bills. We were told to be very discreet, but it reinforced what my parents taught me about never spending more than you earn and paying your bills on time.
First break in the business: Getting hired at WGAL-TV, a station in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I had no experience, and although it was customary at the time to hire people without TV experience, it was daunting. I was also one of the first women hired full time in the newsroom and that was a big break.
I answered the phone in Lancaster. I remember someone asking me, “May I speak to a man?”
I think there were people who felt threatened, thinking back. I think it was more just the way it was then, not an issue with that specific business.
I got a lot of help, but there were some challenges. When they made me a weeknight anchor, it was a little tough on the two men who had been there and there were some things said. What doesn’t kill you make you stronger.
It certainly was something I recovered from. I spent 41 years in the business. I think I motored on.
Best business book you ever read: “On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors: John Z. DeLorean’s Look Inside the Automotive Giant.” It’s about how tough business is, and how tough it is to survive and to have to come up with ideas.
Best piece of business advice you ever received: Be on time, be accurate, be accountable and work until the job is done. Ask if you don’t know something. I would always tell young producers, don’t be afraid to ask a question if you don’t know the answer.
What you tell young people about your business: Don’t be afraid of what other people in your business think of you. Be honest, be nice, be fair. Don’t change who you are.
I talked to a young woman working in Washington. She wears headphones because she said other people don’t always want to talk to her.
When I got big assignments in Pittsburgh, I was very young and some people got envious. But that’s the way it goes. It hurt my feelings. Women, too, we’re supposed to make everybody get along and be happy. When we have an argument, we say, ‘Are you OK? Let’s go have lunch and talk.” Guys are like, let’s get over it and go on with life. Just move on.
What do you see ahead for Palm Beach County? I see growth, a business and medical hub working with younger families in the area as well as making sure our older population is well taken care of.
In Wellington, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is opening early next year. Palms West Hospital is expanding what it’s doing in terms of its specialties. Wellington Regional continues to be prominent with the equestrian community. Cleveland Clinic has expanded here.
Where we can find you when you are not at the office: Generally in Wellington with my horse, Bamboo, or on a tennis court in the village or spending time with my husband and kitties. I love my hometown.
Favorite smartphone app: Peloton and Runkeeper for working out. And, of course, my Palm Beach Post App.
What is the most important trait you look for when hiring? Diligence and honesty. I think of my mother and father.