WOMEN WHO INSPIRE
DIANE BUTRUS
THE WOMAN BEHIND DIBA TRUE SHOES
Enjoy what you do every day, the rest will follow
By ERIN WILLIAMS
When asked to remember her first pair of shoes, Diba
Imports and Demand Shoes Chief Operating Officer
Diane Butrus recalls a pair of hard, thick, sturdy laceups - perfect for getting through the day-to-day trials of
a child’s life. “The first shoes I remember were shoes I
had to learn how to tie myself,” she said of that taste of
childhood independence.
Now, she can choose from as many pairs as she wants
- heels, flats, casual, dressy, boots, sandals - whatever
she desires. Her company started off producing just
one brand of women’s fashion shoes, Diba, which was
created by her father Joseph, in 1990. He named his
company Diba Imports.
“At that time there were eight employees (we’ve since
grown to over 50). We’re still small enough that I know
the first name of every single person in the organization,
and I’m heavily involved with building relationships with
everyone in the company,” Diane said. When her father
was ready to have someone manage the office, that’s
what her training was in, and she decided to join the
company in 1996.
At the time, the University of Missouri - Rolla and
Maryville graduate was working in technology sales for
the Leica Corporation - and enjoyed the independence
that came with it. Getting into the family business was
something that gave her pause.
“The things that made me nervous were giving up
technology for fashion, working for my dad, and not
being independent. My sister and brother-in-law already
worked for the company, and I came in as their boss - so
that was a little bit of an uncomfortable feeling,” she
said. But after calling her dad for counsel on the idea, her
worries were calmed.
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“He actually laughed on the phone,” she said. “He said
‘I wasn’t going to pay you as much money as you’re
making now. I already talked to your sister and brotherin-law. Frankly, if someone is going to be running the ship
and watching after the money, they would rather have it
be you than someone else. They trust you.’”
Within a week, she gave her notice at her old job - and
hasn’t looked back since. Now she runs all the operations
of the business, with her father still heavily involved in
product development and sales. The company has since
grown to own and manage the brands Diba True, Bronx,
Lu