Kristin Tucker

Managing Principal
TDK Technologies, LLC

Location: Chesterfield, MO
Founded: 2001
Industry: Information Technology Consulting

A true leader understands that they will be most successful when they are able to create teams of people smarter and more capable than they are.

“Harnessing the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ is more powerful than any individual’s abilities,” said Kristin Tucker, managing principal, TDK Technologies LLC.

Known as one of the premier women-owned busi nesses in the St. Louis region, TDK Technologies LLC, an Information Technology consulting company specializing in custom software development, was launched right after the dot-com bubble burst and right before 9/11. She said that the “faulty timing” did not hold TDK back. The company had 50 percent growth each year between 2004 and 2008, continuing to hold steady during the recession.

Prior to starting TDK Technologies, Tucker spent 12 years at Solution Consultants Inc. Her business journey guided her through variety of industries including: financial management, healthcare and manufacturing; and for clients including Mallinck rodt, Edward Jones, Ralston Purina (now Nestle Purina), BJC Healthcare and AG Edwards (now Wells Fargo Advisors).

“Early in my career, I believed that to prove myself in a male-dominated industry, I had to be able to do everything myself,” Tucker said. “I quickly learned that if I could bring together people from different backgrounds and unite them behind a common goal, we would all be more successful and ultimately, develop a better solution to whatever problem we were attacking.”

Throughout her career, Tucker said she learned how to best serve the client and the consultant, and has focused on implementing those skills into TDK’s business model.

It is obvious that her experience has been put to good use. TDK reported $22.42 million in revenue for 2020 and is the 18th largest women-owned business in the St. Louis region, according to rankings compiled by the St. Louis Business Journal for 2020. This is the third consecutive year TDK is listed among the top 20 in these rankings. Above all, she acknowledges the resilience of her team when the pandemic hit.

“They never wavered from our mission to deliver exceptional quality services to all of our customers,” Tucker said and added, “The strongest asset of a lead er is the team they surround themselves with and the ability to motivate that team to deliver their best.”

Tucker said that leaders must be able to identify and cultivate talent within their teams to find success as a leader and a company.

“Growing people in addition to achieving team goals is key,” Tucker said. “To me, the most successful leaders are the ones who are able to build the next generation of leaders.”

She added that leadership requires followers, but that is not something a leader can control or plan for; rather, they are results that come from your actions.

“What you can control, however, is how you conduct yourself. Do you continue to provide a path and di rection that people want to follow? Staying current on the state of the industry and contributing to where it’s going is part of that path and direction,” Tucker said. “So is providing people with opportunities to learn, grow and contribute.”