Introduction
This year marks three decades since Kimberly DeLozier joined DRD Technology. As our Chief Financial Officer, she’s been the architect of the financial infrastructure that has enabled our company’s remarkable transformation from a small regional operation to a multi-state enterprise.
Building From the Ground Up
Kimberly came to DRD in 1995 after answering a job ad. The company was in the midst of a significant transition, with around 10-15 employees corporation to an Oklahoma-based business. It was a company finding its footing, and Kimberly would become essential to that journey.
“I like math. I was a STEM girl before it was popular,” Kimberly says about what drew her to finance and accounting. That passion for numbers and systems would prove crucial in the years ahead.
Her first day at DRD presented both a challenge and an opportunity. She arrived to find a desk, a chair, an outdated computer she wasn’t certain could even support an accounting program, and a trial balance. Her mission was clear but daunting: build the accounting department.
Most people would have been intimidated. Kimberly saw it differently. “It was exactly what I was good at and enjoyed the entire process.” She established every system, every process, every control that would eventually support a company many times its original size. That early work became the bedrock of DRD’s financial operations for the next three decades.
Stewarding Exponential Growth
The numbers tell a remarkable story. When Kimberly started, DRD was selling in approximately 5 states. Today the company operates in over 20 states, serving a vastly expanded customer base with a team that has grown proportionally. Through every phase of that expansion, Kimberly has been there, ensuring the financial foundation remained solid even as the company scaled.
“It has been interesting and fun to watch DRD’s growth,” she reflects. The enthusiasm in that statement is notable. After 30 years, she still finds the work engaging, still sees the growth as something worth celebrating.
She never set out to spend three decades at one company, but the decision made sense within the context of her life. Her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents all stayed with and retired from the same companies after 20-30 years of service. She grew up watching people build careers through loyalty and commitment.
A Philosophy of Problem-Solving
Kimberly brings a distinctive mindset to her role as CFO. She doesn’t frame situations as challenges to be overcome. Instead, she sees them as issues that require resolution. It’s more than semantics. This perspective strips away the drama and emotion that can cloud judgment during difficult moments.
“I do not look at something as a ‘challenge’ but I look at what is called a challenge as something that needs to be completed or resolved,” she explains. No biggest challenges, just problems that have emerged over the years and been systematically addressed.
That pragmatic, steady approach has been invaluable through market shifts, company growth phases, regulatory changes, and the countless complexities that come with managing finances for an expanding business.
A Commitment to Excellence
Kimberly’s professional credentials reflect a lifelong commitment to learning and excellence. She was valedictorian of her high school class, an early indicator of the drive that would characterize her career. She earned an associate’s degree in general business from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, then continued to Langston University where she completed a Bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in accounting.
Two years after joining DRD, she achieved her CPA certification. But she didn’t stop there. While managing her responsibilities as CFO, she pursued and earned a doctorate degree in law from the University of Tulsa and passed the Oklahoma Bar exam. She’s been a practicing attorney for over 20 years, bringing a unique dual expertise to her role.
She maintains active involvement in multiple professional organizations, including the Oklahoma Bar Association, Tulsa County Bar Association, American Inns of Court, Oklahoma Society of CPAs, and the Tulsa Chapter of the Oklahoma Society of CPAs. This continued engagement with the broader professional community keeps her connected to evolving standards and best practices.
Before joining DRD, Kimberly built experience in accounting positions across different industries, including property management and oil and gas. That diverse background gave her the versatility to build systems that could adapt and scale with the company’s needs.
The Foundation of Loyalty
When asked what has kept her motivated and committed to DRD Technology for 30 years, Kimberly’s answer is refreshingly straightforward: “I enjoy my work and that is all the motivation I have ever needed.”
But there’s another dimension to her loyalty. She speaks with genuine respect about the company’s leadership. “I am privileged to work for three of the most honest, fair, objective, consistent, compassionate men I have ever met,” she says of Andy, Chris, and Dwight. “They are what represents DRD. I respect them.”
That mutual respect between leadership and a key executive creates the kind of culture where people stay, where they invest not just their time but their best thinking. It’s a relationship built over three decades of working together through good times and difficult ones, and it shows in the stability and strength of the organization.
Life in Balance
Outside the office, Kimberly finds her equilibrium on the water, spending time boating and fishing, and in the detailed, meditative work of needlework in its various forms. These pursuits provide a necessary counterbalance to the analytical demands of her professional life.
She’s witnessed significant changes in the finance profession during her career. More women have entered the field, a shift she’s glad to see. Technology has transformed work in fundamental ways. But the core principles that drew her to finance were the logic, the precision, and the satisfaction of building sound systems that remain constant.
The Next Chapter
After 30 years with DRD Technology, Kimberly shows no signs of slowing down. Her view of the company’s future is optimistic and grounded in experience. “I do not think DRD has reached its pinnacle and believe it will continue to grow and only get better.”
This confidence carries weight. It comes from someone who has watched the company grow from 15 employees to its current size, who has built the financial systems from scratch, and who has guided the company through three decades of change. When Kimberly says the best is still ahead, it’s worth listening.
Her story is one of sustained excellence, steady leadership, and the kind of dedication that builds enduring organizations. She found work she loved, leadership she respected, and a company worth growing with. Three decades later, both Kimberly and DRD are stronger for that decision.
