In our latest Women In PHCP spotlight, we invite you to meet Camille Duvalle, business unit manager for SACO AEI Polymers! 

"Camille joined the PEX pipe community in 2024 after more than a decade in the plastic film industry, but she is rapidly making her presence felt in the plastic pipe industry as an emerging professional to watch," said Duvalle's colleague and Women In PHCP nominator.

Read our Q&A with Duvalle below to learn more about her journey through the industry! 

PHCPPros: How and why did you decide to enter a career in the PHCP industry?  

Duvalle: I entered a career in the PHCP industry when I joined SACO AEI Polymers, but this was not exactly strategically planned. (I have yet to meet a person who is 16 years into their career and is doing exactly what they set out to do!) I was drawn to the opportunity to work with a diverse set of people, all while having a good work-life balance with the possibility to continue to be challenged and grow. 

PHCPPros: Describe your role in the PHCP industry. What are some of your responsibilities?  

Duvalle: My role as a business unit manager is comprised of three parts: First, supporting the day-to-day business of our current and future customers (manufacturers of PEX piping) via account management, finding and developing new opportunities, and providing technical support. Secondly, supporting the future business of our customers through product development, joint projects, and planning for what we think is coming in the next five to 10 years. And finally, supporting the PHCP industry by participating in trade associations. 

PHCPPros: What have been some of your career highlights so far? 

Duvalle: Long after I finished my first management role, an employee who had worked for me told me their time in my group was positive and impactful to their life. That was a special moment! 

I also received a global award that was meaningful to me because of the passion and effort I put into a $500 million project. Being featured in the 2023 class of "Women Breaking the Mold" with Plastics and Rubber News magazine was another highlight. 

PHCPPros: Are you affiliated with any groups and organizations in the PHCP industry?   

Duvalle: I am an active member of the Plastics Pipe Industry (PPI), Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (PPFA), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). 

PHCPPros: What are your experiences with mentorship for women?

Duvalle: I consider any woman who has ever offered advice and/or a listening ear to be a mentor. It always surprises me how much we stand to gain when we are curious and open to each other. 

I also make myself available as much as possible to listen, advise, and encourage women who are open to it. We all have to remember that no one has it figured out and we are all still learning every day (if we are lucky)! 

PHCPPros: How do you think the industry can better recruit and retain women? 

Duvalle: Ask yourself what you can do to be a better ally and check in on yourself periodically to make sure you are challenging yourself in that way. Familiarity and similarity biases are strong and mostly unconscious cognitive biases — we have to actively and intentionally try to break ourselves from those tendencies.

PHCPPros: What advice would you give to a woman entering the PHCP industry? 

Duvalle: Be yourself, find your confidence, and step into it! 

Do not forget that you are capable of doing anything that you are willing to learn and work hard at in this industry. And appreciate the importance of your network — take time to build a diverse one. 

PHCCPros: Is there anything from your personal life that you would like to highlight? 

Duvalle: I have come to appreciate that being happy in my personal life helps me accomplish more at work. It may sound really basic and logical now, but I used to think I had to work hard (and be miserable) now in order to be happy later in life. I would recommend the book "The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Anchor to anyone and everyone. 

Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity. 

Do you know someone you would like to nominate for our Women In PHCP newsletter series? Email PHCPPros Digital Strategy Manager Nicole Meyer at [email protected]!