Turtle VP of Sales Wendy Buchholz drives growth in energy and sustainability

For the original interview by Cindy Barth for BizWomen, click here.

With more than 25 years of experience driving growth in the energy and sustainability space, Wendy Buchholz has built a career at the intersection of innovation and impact.

As Vice President of Sales at Clark, New Jersey-based Turtle, she leads growth initiatives across Upstate New York, helping customers implement sustainable solutions that improve efficiency and reliability.

Buchholz previously spent more than two decades at Johnson Controls, and her expertise spans construction, service and energy markets. She is known for delivering complex projects that advance long-term sustainability.

“It’s funny sometimes how your early career trajectory gives you experience in things that ultimately lead you to the place you wanted to be,” Buchholz said. “That’s what I’ve found through my work at Turtle. The legacy of the company, the strong emphasis on women in leadership roles — all of that is why I love being here.”

Bizwomen recently talked with Buchholz about her work at Turtle & Hughes, how the family-owned company has built its reputation over more than 100 years in business, what’s next, and more.

Would you share a little bit about the background of Turtle?

Turtle & Hughes is a fourth-generation — soon to be fifth-generation — company founded in 1923 by M. Berry Turtle and William Hughes. It’s also family-owned, and our current co-CEOS are Jayne Millard, who is also chairman of Turtle, and Luis Valls. Those family ties run deep throughout the company, and our customers really value that continuity. It’s something I’m very proud of as well.

What’s been Turtle’s secret to success?

Involvement. In many family-owned businesses, women or diverse candidates aren’t part of the leadership. At Turtle & Hughes, our chairman, Jayne Millard, is highly engaged. She travels the country speaking about our efforts, and each generation of leadership also brings different experiences to the business. That diversity of perspective has been an incredible strength.

What all does Turtle offer?

Along with being a distributor of commodities, we also do switch gear and lighting, and we have an energy sustainable division. We’re expanding into EV charging, micro-grids and data center projects that are coming up all over the country. These are all areas where our long track record helps us win those projects.

With such a long legacy, what are you most proud of?

This is going to seem like an offshoot, but I think the big proud moment for me is that we give back. We’ve support the Make-A-Wish Foundation, adopt a turtle every year and participate in local charity events at each branch. That might sound like it’s not directly related to our core business, but that culture of giving is part of what makes this company special.

What’s ahead for Turtle?

We’re expanding, moving offices and opening new offices. We’re going to open more offices in Upstate New York. The great thing about Turtle is you’re never really going to know where we’re headed, because we’re always going to keep people surprised. We continue to focus on the things we’ve been very successful at in New York and New Jersey, but now we’re taking the lessons we’ve learned there and expanding into new territories and really disrupting the market.

People think they know what we’re doing, but we don’t just go where the work is. We go where the market is. So, although New York State is growing and there’s a lot of work to be had here, we came in this market back in 2021. Think of the climate then, when it was a very difficult market at the time. Covid was still in progress, but we did our research and we hired the right people. By doing that, we’ve been very successful.

Another point of pride is employee longevity. Some of our team members have been here 40, 50, even 60 years. That speaks volumes about the culture and the company’s strength.

Is there something about Turtle that might surprise people?

Many don’t know we have an operation in Puerto Rico, which is a natural fit for us but not necessarily widely known.

What advice would you give women entering a male-dominated industry?

First, know that you belong. Women should be in this business and should stop apologizing. You deserve to be in the room and you bring value. Trust your gut and remember that the ability to read a room is just as important as any degree and coming from a trade school can be just as valuable many times. Believe in yourself and understand that diverse opinions are what make organizations successful.

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Before joining Turtle, Buchholz spent more than two decades at Johnson Controls, where she held multiple leadership roles, including director of connected technologies while overseeing a $500 million connected outcomes business in the Eastern U.S.