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March 9, 2026 14 mins
In this Women’s History Month edition of CEOs You Should Know, Rosie Perez sits down with Vanessa Van de Putte, President and CEO of Dixie Flag and Banner Company—a 68‑year‑old, family‑owned San Antonio manufacturer known for its craftsmanship in flags, banners, signage, and event décor. Vanessa shares how her background in film and event production shaped her leadership approach, what it means to carry forward a multigenerational legacy, and how American manufacturing is evolving.
As a statewide and national leader in the events industry, she offers insight on the future of suppliers, community leadership, and the women who’ve inspired her journey. Tune in for an inspiring conversation with a CEO blending creativity, tradition, and innovation to move a Texas legacy into the future.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to CEOs. You should know.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
I'm Rosie Perez with iHeartMedia, and in honor of Women's
History Month, we're highlighting inspirational female leaders shaping our community.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Today.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm joined by Vanessa Vanderpute, President and CEO of Dixie
Flag and Banner Company, a sixty eight year old San
Antonio business known for its craftsmanship in flags, banners, and
event decor. Vanessa brings a creative, modern approach to manufacturing
and plays a major role in events industry statewide and nationally. Vanessa,

(00:30):
welcome to the program.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Hi. Thanks for having me, of.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Course, so I'm super excited to have you in today.
One of the things that I love most about Dixie
Flag is it's a multi generational company. I think that
in San Antonio that means even that much more with
our culture and how family is so important. Your path
into leadership is unique, especially coming from a background in

(00:54):
film and event production. What perspectives or experiences from that
early your career have shaped the way you lead a
manufacturing company today.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Filmmaking is all about finding the talent and putting together
your team, and running a small business is the exact
same thing, and it's just a different set of skills.
Your biggest asset in any company, I feel is your people,
and when it comes to whether you're doing something creative
or manufacturing, that is what you have to lean on.

(01:26):
So it's all about putting together your team and leading
them to work together.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
That's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
So you oversee production of everything from flags and banners
to event decor and flagpole installation. Just like you said,
you installed the rodeo flag today. What do people often
misunderstand about American manufacturing and what do you wish people
knew more about?

Speaker 4 (01:48):
You know, we give tours over at Dixie Flag and
the comment that we receive most often is that people
thought that.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
There would be big machines.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
When they hear manufacturing and factories, they think of machines
and they don't often think about the people who who
really make it all happen. And so, especially with flagmaking,
we do not have huge embroidery machines that are pumping
out fifty stars over and over and again. We have
sewing machine operators who are sitting at a old singer

(02:18):
machine and are pushing the fabric. And so it's definitely
not always about mass production and more about the individual
who is making an item and creating an item, And
so I think that's probably what most people think of
manufacturing would be robots, machines.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Huge assailing lines.

Speaker 4 (02:38):
Absolutely, and that's not necessarily what manufacturing is.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
I think, you know, just by learning that that really
kind of defines the history and the longevity of the company.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
That's amazing.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
So as chair of the International Festival and Events Association
and the Texas Festival and Events Association, you're very busy.
You play a significant role in shaping the events industry.
How do you see the role of suppliers evolving in
today's event landscape.

Speaker 4 (03:07):
Especially over the last several years since COVID, which completely
changed the landscape, supply chain has become so much more
on everybody's minds, and when it comes to suppliers, especially
in the event world, I don't feel like there's a
separation between event professionals and suppliers. Really, you're not looking

(03:29):
for suppliers anymore. You're looking for partners. And in this case,
a lot of your vendors, a lot of your suppliers
are invested in not only the success of your event,
but also the community. And so I feel that I'm
seeing less and less suppliers who are just coming around
for that transactional part of supplying something, but your professionals

(03:50):
who are partners and are offering resources and connections to
really help our events navigate the challenges of producing events
in this world, current day and age.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
That's fantastic and I actually, you know, you don't always
necessarily think of that. I think a lot of people
think of suppliers as vendors, right, and it's so much
more important to think of them as partners, right, because yeah,
that's how the industry grows. Women's History Month, which we're
currently in honors trailblazers who have broken barriers. Have there

(04:21):
been women, either personally or professionally who have inspired your
leadership journey?

Speaker 3 (04:27):
Absolutely?

Speaker 4 (04:29):
I have two women who I am very lucky to
not only have as mentors but also family members. And
so I'm going to start with the eldest, and that
was my grandmother who passed away a few years ago.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
But her name was Belle Ortiz.

Speaker 4 (04:43):
She created the very first mariachi program right here in
San Antonio, and that was at Lanier and so before
that there was no curriculum for teaching mariachi, and so
she started it westside San Antonio, and now it has
spread not forget all over Texas. Internationally, I think there's

(05:04):
over two thousand schools that teach some sort of Mariaci programming.
She started this back in the seventies and had to
really challenge what people thought about, first of all, Spanish
being used in school as part of an arts curriculum.
And you think, I sang myself, you know, we see French,
we see German when you're in quire and so why

(05:26):
not seeing Spanish you know as well? And so she
was definitely a trailblazer, and her legacy continues even though
she's passed on with all the Mariaci programs and Madiaci
educators and now you see documentaries on Netflix about the
Mariaci Madiacci program.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
I saw that and I came into the office and
I told everyone I was so enthralled with it. I
even saw my own high school that I that I
didn't even know how to Mariiaci program. You know, everybody
knows like Mariachi savadaas. And there was actually a program
that I saw recently that really focused in on the

(06:03):
growth and how it spread like wildfire.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
So that is that is a trailblazer right there. That's amazing.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yes.

Speaker 4 (06:10):
And so my second one, my mother, Ladisia van Puch,
she's a former senator. Before that, she was a small
business owner. She was in the medical field, so she's
a pharmacist by trade. And so her trans I mean,
first of all, being a business owner on San Antonio's
West side, being female back back in the eighties, that
of course was there's few and far between.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
But then when she made the move and joined the legislature.

Speaker 4 (06:35):
There were very few woman business owners coming from a
medical background. But she also had six kids under i
think under the age of ten at that time, and
so you definitely didn't see mothers being able to step
into public service like that, and so that was definitely
a trailblazer.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
And as far as her showing me leadership is.

Speaker 4 (06:57):
The fact that she was able to do all of
the above, was able to lead our community, She was
able to show up at volleyball and basketball games be
our mom, still serve as a pharmacist, and so she
was definitely an inspiration to me, just showing that you
really can do it all. Now It's not easy, you know,

(07:17):
it never is easy to wear all the hats and
to juggle all.

Speaker 3 (07:21):
The different roles and responsibilities.

Speaker 4 (07:23):
But she set that example for me, so I'm very
fortunate to have her as that example well.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
And the Vanderpute family has a very well respected name
in the community, and I think I don't think anybody
in our community doesn't know who Letitia is and who
in what she represents. So to have both in your
own family, I mean, you guys are just a family
of trailblazers. Dixie Flagg serves a broad spectrum of clients,

(07:51):
like we talked about, from major festivals to local businesses.
Can you share a moment or a project where you
felt especially proud of the impact that your team created.

Speaker 4 (08:02):
We've been very proud to have lots of flags that
have been on the national stage. We've done flags that
fly on the Capitol Building for the last seven presidential inaugurations,
and obviously there's a lot.

Speaker 3 (08:13):
Of pride tied with that.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
However, the moment that I go back and I reflect
on is at the ten year anniversary of nine to eleven,
a flag was unfurled off the Freedom Tower and it
was televised and I don't know if you remember, but
there was a moment of silence, and they read off
all the names of those lives that were unfortunately lost
on nine to eleven, and a dduring that or as

(08:37):
part of that ceremony, a giant sixty foot by ninety
foot flag was unfurled off what was being built the
Freedom Talent Tower at that time. And I'm lucky, or
we're lucky, because flags are not just a commodity. They
really carry meeting, whether it be for your school or
for your team, your country. But in that particular Inns

(09:00):
where we all were reflecting on a moment in time,
a history, something that changed the political landscape of the
country we're living in, in the world we're living in.
To kind of see the symbol of our country displayed
and unfurled in such a respectful way that had meaning
and different meaning to all the different people who were

(09:20):
watching it. And then also my team watching that, you know,
knowing that it was their hands that sowed those stars
and enjoined those stripes. It was just really impactful personally,
and then I really think that that was a moment
where everybody can kind of unite under that symbol.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
I actually got goosebumps from that story.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
I can only imagine the pride that your team felt,
that you felt, that your family felt being a part
of such a significant moment. While it was a very tragic,
it was a significant moment and you're right of how
it really brought together the country. Wow, that's almost leads
me a little bit TERI your hate this transition is
like crazy, But here we go. You are a part

(10:04):
of Leadership San Antonio's LSA fifty class, which focuses on
community leadership and learning. What have been your biggest takeaway
so far and how do you hope to apply them
to your organization and your community.

Speaker 4 (10:18):
I am super excited about Leadership San Antonio. This is
the fiftieth class, so it's LSA fifty and so really
the whole year of program. In programming, we're focusing on
the legacy aspect, where as being part of a legacy
business in San Antonio. But to go back and reflect
on what has happened over the last fifty years in

(10:41):
San Antonio and think about the current state, but also
looking with hope towards the future. Even though we just
began the year and it just started. The thing that
I've already taken away is looking at our cohort, looking
at the class, and there's seventy emerging leaders who are
involved in the program right now. And then also we've
got a great eight steering committee. But looking at how

(11:03):
much passion all these individuals have for our community, their community,
their businesses, but as a whole, our community and their
love for San Antonio, it is a lot of work.
It takes a lot of commitment to go through that program.
And I am just revived and energized about what great
talent we have in San Antonio and how much love

(11:25):
there is for not only the San Antonio that we
live in now, but the potential in our future.

Speaker 2 (11:32):
That's amazing. So tell me, this is just an off note.
So how do you qualify for LSA.

Speaker 4 (11:36):
You have to be a member of the great either
the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce or the Greater Chamber of
Commerce of San Antonio. And so however, it's not just
business leaders, there's also nonprofit it's a great network in there,
and there's an application process which includes not only an
application but also an interview process. And so it's actually
very competitive and I'm honored to be a part of

(11:59):
this year's class.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
Yeah, I knew it was a very like it's a
very influential class, and it is very I mean it's
not just like hey, I'm a CEO and I'm in
so congratulations, thank you. Many women listening are aspiring leaders
or entrepreneurs. What advice would you give to women looking
to lead in fields that might not be traditionally female dominated.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
Looking back at when I was studying film production and
entering that particular world, there were very few women in
the classes that I attended. You know, there was maybe
one or two of us when there would be twenty
males in the class. I have seen a shift when
it comes to filmmaking, and I think the same goes

(12:44):
for event production and manufacturing as well. Like we have
women leaders emerging for sure. So I think the piece
of advice that I would give to women, women leaders,
women in areas where there may be more typically more men,
would be to lift up the other women. I think

(13:07):
that sometimes, since it is a very competitive environment, all
of the ones that I spoke of before, it's important
for us women to look out for each other and
to recognize hard work wherever it comes from, whether it
be male or female, but remembering to lift up the
other women who who you're working alongside of.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
I one hundred percent agree with you. As a leader
in our company in San Antonio. Many years ago, it
was traditionally our industry was traditionally led by males, and
now it's come to the point where our industry in
San Antonio is predominantly led by women.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
So you definitely do see that shift well. Vanessa, thank you.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
So much for joining us today and sharing your story,
your leadership, insights, and the legacy that you continue to
build on a Dixie flag and banner company. Your blend
of creatation and dedication to your community embodies the spirit
of Women's History Month. To our listeners, thank you for
tuning in to the special edition of CEOs. You should

(14:06):
know I'm Rosie Perez with iHeartMedia, inviting you to join
us all month long as we highlight women who are leading, inspiring,
and shaping the future of our community. Until next time,
take care, stay inspired, and keep celebrating the incredible women
making history today.
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