Inspiring Women In Business: Allison Caramello

Allison Caramello

Vice President of Swim Sports Inc.
520 Washington St., Pembroke

781-826-8368
Swimsportsinc.com


Allison Caramello didn’t set out to break barriers by working in a male-dominated industry, but when she became the vice president at Swim Sports Inc. that’s exactly what she did.

Founded by her father-in-law in 1976, the family-run company specializes in top-of-the-line polymer-wall, vinyl-lined in-ground pools. While Caramello’s husband handles pool construction, she is in charge of handling the business side of things as well as customer service. Caramello helps guide buyers through the planning stages of their project and helps them choose a pool style and color to fit their family’s needs.

A graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Psychology, the Plymouth resident puts her strong interpersonal skills to good use when she’s working with customers.  “I’m always asked what I would pick or what I did at my house,” says Caramello.  “It’s gratifying to see how much our customers enjoy the finished product.”

Having attended many industry conferences and training seminars over the years, Caramello is accustomed to being the youngest of three or four women in a room of 100-200 men. When she was first starting out in the business, she would feel self-conscious and intimidated to speak up at these events. But after almost 10 years of working in the business, Caramello now feels proud to be one of the few women in the room and she’s confident in her own knowledge and abilities.

When Caramello does encounter gender bias on the job, she uses it as a teachable moment. “I’ve had a couple nieces work for me and there have been times when we were speaking to a homeowner and we were questioned on what we were saying, simply because we were not male,” says Caramello. “I taught my nieces how important it is to be confident as a woman in anything you do, but especially a male-dominated field and I plan to teach my daughter the same skills.”

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