For Emily Burgoyne, career growth has never been about following a single path. It has been about building the kind of perspective that only comes from being willing to step into unfamiliar territory, learn what each role has to teach, and carry those lessons forward into the next challenge.

That approach has taken her across four distinct roles at Forte Opening Solutions, from product strategy to manufacturing operations to commercial leadership, each one adding a layer of understanding that shapes how she leads today as Director of Sales for the Components Business Unit.

"Being willing to move across functions rather than stay on one path has helped me advance quickly while intentionally building experience across product strategy, operations, financial ownership, and commercial leadership."

A Foundation in Product Strategy

Emily arrived at Forte with six years of product management experience, much of it focused on new product development. In her role as Product Manager, she took on a complex door portfolio where she learned to identify where complexity created genuine value for customers and where simplification could strengthen the business. The work also sharpened a capability that would prove essential throughout her career: the ability to influence and gain alignment across functions without direct authority.

A development conversation during that time became a turning point. Emily shared her long-term goal of leading a company someday, and her development team responded with the kind of candor that defines how Forte approaches growth. They affirmed that her product background had positioned her well for leadership, but they were honest that she would need broader exposure to Operations and Finance to be ready for that kind of responsibility. More importantly, they helped her build a plan to get there.

"I was not just told where I needed to grow. I was given opportunities to develop those capabilities and demonstrate them."

That combination of honest feedback and real follow-through set the direction for everything that came next.

Learning What It Takes Inside an Operation

Emily's next move was into Operations leadership in Forte's particleboard business, a significant stretch into a manufacturing environment without a traditional manufacturing background. She became accountable for the overall performance of the operation, taking on direct people leadership, P&L and budget ownership, and responsibility for day-to-day results across safety, quality, service, and productivity.

During her time leading the operation, her team improved productivity approximately 15 percent year over year. But the more lasting lesson had less to do with the metrics and more to do with the kind of leadership it required. Emily learned how to lead a team whose members held deep technical expertise in work she could not personally do, and she found that her role was to ask the right questions, create clarity around what the team needed to accomplish, and make sure that expertise informed their decisions.

That experience fundamentally changed how she approaches her work today. She understands what it takes inside an operation to deliver on the commitments made to customers, and she believes that Sales and Operations are far more effective when they approach those commitments as partners rather than separate functions.

Sharpening a Commercial Perspective

From Operations, Emily moved into the role of Director of Inside Sales, leading teams across U.S. Door, Canada Door, and Components. The role strengthened her analytical approach as she focused on using quoting data, opportunity tracking, order activity, and workload metrics as leading indicators for forecasting, resource allocation, risk identification, and growth opportunities.

With each move, Emily was building a broader view of the business—one that allowed her to understand what customers need, evaluate what operations can realistically deliver, and use data to identify where smart growth is possible.

Bringing It All Together in Components

Today, Emily leads commercial strategy for the Components Business Unit, which provides products and engineered solutions—including particleboard core, fire core, door facings, and hardwood plywood—to door and cabinet manufacturers. Because those components become part of customers' finished products and manufacturing processes, being a reliable supplier requires more than filling orders. It means understanding each customer's business, identifying where Forte's products and capabilities create value, and partnering closely with Operations to make sure the organization can deliver on its commitments.

Emily's team brings tremendous industry expertise, and her role is to establish a clear commercial strategy, create alignment around where the business is headed, and leverage that expertise to pursue the right opportunities for sustainable growth. It is the kind of work that draws on everything her career has built: the ability to sit across from a customer and understand what they are trying to accomplish, evaluate what it will require operationally and financially, and work across functions to shape a strategy the whole organization can execute.

Growing With Support at Every Stage

Emily's progression has been shaped not only by her willingness to take on new challenges but also by the investment Forte has made in her development along the way. The company financially supported her MBA and her Lean Yellow Belt certification, paired her with a senior Operations leader as a formal mentor, and provided leadership development programs and self-assessment tools that gave her clarity on her strengths and where she needed to focus.

Beyond those formal resources, informal mentors across the organization have offered perspective, coaching, and support at different points in her career. Her managers created intentional opportunities for her to demonstrate her strengths, trusting her to lead high-visibility meetings and present in company forums where she gained exposure to senior leaders beyond her day-to-day responsibilities.

That combination of education, mentorship, honest feedback, visibility, and real responsibility has been a defining part of her experience at Forte.

Advice for Those Considering Forte

Emily encourages anyone thinking about a career at Forte to be clear about what they want to accomplish, understand what they do well, and stay curious. She sees opportunities across the organization to broaden experience, take on greater responsibility, and pursue paths that may not have been part of the original plan.

Growth, she believes, also requires taking ownership—looking for ways to add value, building strong relationships, and continuing to expand your understanding of the business. Throughout her career at Forte, leaders have invested in her potential and created opportunities for her to grow, and today one of the most rewarding parts of her role is being able to do the same for others.

Her advice for anyone considering Forte comes down to three things:

"Be clear about what you want to accomplish, understand what you do well, and stay curious."

Emily Burgoyne's career at Forte reflects what becomes possible when intention meets investment—when a company is willing to support your growth and you are willing to build the experience that leadership requires.

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