Diane Earll can’t say that being the president of the ceilings division at a building material manufacturer was her dream job as a little girl. Yet, after 33 years with USG, she can’t imagine another career.
Right out of college from Northern Illinois University as a finance major, Earll was drawn to USG and its longstanding reputation as an innovative Chicago-based company. “I was very fortunate that one of my professors knew about USG and made the connection,” she says. “It was known to be a great place to work and build a career, which is exactly what I’ve been able to do.”
Earll has held many positions at USG giving her a fresh perspective on each angle of the business from human resources to retail accounts and customer service. Having worked across nearly every functional area at USG, she has helped drive innovation within the business lines, including the wallboard business focused on residential construction, as well as joint treatments, flooring, and roofing.
“I would say every one of these roles combined have really helped me have a better understanding of our customers, our people, our products, and our operations, which is really important to me.” She now leads the second largest division in the company behind its gypsum division and has watched the industry—and USG—evolve over the last three decades.
She has witnessed profound shifts from once a heavy labor-intensive process to a tech-driven one where efficiency and sustainability are possible. “USG has really been at the forefront of all of these changes, whether it’s pioneering some of our new products, like our lightweight products, Sheetrock Ultralight, to advancing automation in our plants or embedding sustainability into everything that we’re doing from operations to product development,” says Earll.
Here for the Long Haul
Next year, USG will celebrate 125 years in business. “It’s an incredible milestone and throughout this time we have brought to life some of the industry’s most impactful products that have changed the residential as well as commercial building industry,” she says. “I think the longevity itself speaks volumes for resiliency.”
Earll and the company have continuously adapted as the industry has changed, creating a broad portfolio from walls and ceilings to flooring, roofing, and structural applications. As tariff uncertainty has raised concerns, Earll says that USG’s global supply chain organization has been instrumental in navigating the challenges through strategic vendor relationships.
Courtesy of USG
“They’ve helped us minimize the impact and uncertainty across our North American operations and ultimately minimizing any potential service disruptions to our customers. And of course, on the tariff side, we continue to monitor as it remains very fluid,” she says. In the ceilings division, Earll says they are diligently working to ensure stability of supply, which is vital to its customer base of builders and contractors.
The fears of increased pricing and related supply chain delays are one of the pain points USG is paying attention to for its builders and contractors. They use these pain points to fuel future innovation, she says. “We translate these insights into building innovation that is focused on ease of installation, which is really important, and our goal is to make products that are lighter, more durable, and simpler for contractors.”
Earll says the innovative products like USG’s Sheetrock Ultralight that reduce material damage and installation time is one ways USG aims to help address the building industry’s labor shortages. USG has also driven tech advancements within the supply chain so that builders and contractors can get what they need when they need it.
On the commercial construction side, Earll says there has been a significant growth in specialty markets like airports and data centers.
“The data centers are massive, complex projects that require highly specific high-performance ceilings as well as containment solutions. This is an exciting frontier for us in the ceilings business, as we’re entering the space and partnering on some of the most well-known data centers that are under construction right now. We’re really excited about this next-generation infrastructure.”
More than Just Products
Ceiling products, whether installed residentially or commercially, will continue to adapt and innovate, Earll believes, but she says it’s not possible without a strong team that is well trained and focused on upskilling to embrace technology.
But tech aside, Earll says the people at USG and its strong commitment to community involvement is just as important. “We support the communities where our customers and our employees work, live, and play. It’s not just about operating our plants and producing products but being a good corporate citizen,” she says.
Courtesy of USG
Earll takes the initiative to heart as the president of USG’s Foundation where she can see firsthand the impact their give local programs make. Each of the over 40 manufacturing facilities and the sales teams get an opportunity to give funds from the USG Foundation to local organizations of their choice. “I’m always deeply touched at the difference that we’re making in the marketplace,” she adds.
USG has also partnered with the American Red Cross for decades. After joining the board of directors for the American Red Cross of Illinois six year ago, Earll was recently elected vice chair.
“The American Red Cross is a direct reflection of how deeply our company values giving back in the communities we serve,” Earll says. “We are committed to making a difference beyond our products and contributing to the well-being and growth of neighborhoods across the country.”
And when asked what has captivated her for over 30 years at USG, Earll says, “They care about their people. They care about their customers. There’s just never been a day that I’ve woken up saying that I would want to leave USG. It has been a very fulfilling career. I have been a mentor to many, many people at USG and I just love the people, and I love the customers. It’s just a good combination.
“Again, it’s not a career that many little girls dream about, but it’s a career that has really been a dream for me.”
