ATSSA The Signal Nov/Dec 2019

American Traffic Safety Services Association 34 Member Engagement Kathi Holst fondly remembers her cute 11-year-old blonde-haired little girl handing out orange pins at an ATSSA convention. That little girl is Devvon Holst-Clay, now age 27. “I have been involvedwith ATSSA in some way, shape, or form since I was a young girl. I followed my mom, Kathi Holst, through her leadership and chairman- ship at ATSSAmany years ago, sold Foun- dation pins at fundraisers, and attended the convention often,” Holst-Clay said. Today, the mother-daughter team still attends ATSSAmeetings—but in a differ- ent capacity. Holst-Clay serves on ATSSA committees and is a member of the task force for the ATSSA Young Industry Professional (YIP) program. She is leading the way as the co-founder and vice president of D2K Traffic Safety, Inc., which provides roadway construction traffic services. As she charts new territory in ATSSA and the roadway safety infrastructure industry, her source of inspiration iswith- out question—“My mom. She has and always will be a rockstar in the industry andwatching her passion over the years led me right to it.” That “rockstar” has been involved in ATSSA for 32 years, including serving as Illinois ATSSA Chapter Officer and ATSSA Chair in 2001 and 2002. “Watching that as I grew up made it an easy decision for me to follow in her foot- steps,” Holst-Clay said. Leading the way In 2012, Holst-Clay approached her mother about starting D2K which Holst characterized as “probably one of the proudest moments of my life.” Holst-Clay was a junior in college when she and her business partner, Meagan Long, started the D2K business. Holst- Clay conducted payroll from her dorm room and spent her holidays and week- ends running the company. In 2013, they launched D2K. The follow- ing year, Holst and Long’s father, Mark Long, joined the leadership teamof D2K. Holst is theCFOand Long is thepresident. Holst-Clay marked those beginnings of D2K as her greatest accomplishment. “Six-plus years later, we are as strong as ever and growing every day. That is some- thing I am proud of, and if that isn’t the proof of what a YIP can do, I don’t know what is,” she said. She attributes her success to several factors. “Through networking, hard work, and lots of involvement, I have been able to support my business’s growth as well as my own in the industry. My network has also increased greatly due to the networking opportunities that associ- ations, such as ATSSA, provide for me. I amable tomeet people I wouldn’t other- wise meet,” she said. Holst has enjoyed watching her daugh- ter grow. “Working with Devvon has been a lot of fun,” Holst said. “It’s been so wonderful to watch her learn. She’s like a sponge. She wants to learn everything.” Growing up in the industry Holst-Clay charts new territory in ATSSA’s Young Industry Professional program (From left to right) Mother and daughter, Kathi Holst and Devon Holst-Clay work together as ATSSA com- mittee leaders and in business.