Blogs

When I began supporting regional manufacturers in 2008, I quickly became an advocate for the industry. A growing and thriving manufacturing base directly benefits the economy and enhances the quality of life within a community. Manufacturing has many vibrant career pathways from entry-level to executive, and here on the Space Coast, we have world-leading technologies being designed, built and launched into space! According to a recent study by Deloitte, women represent 47% of the overall U.S. workforce; however, only about 29% of the workforce are in manufacturing. This gap makes women the most untapped pool of talent. The good news is there are increasingly ...

As a young girl, I remember touring manufacturing facilities in school and was fascinated with the companies. I imagined how interesting it would be to work in the industry. I wanted to find a career in manufacturing because I knew that it offered a wide variety of career pathways. As I started to find my place, as a woman innovator, I was met with resistance. It was a resistance to make any changes to business models from the old ways. To overcome this, I provided regular training sessions, one-on-one meetings, and created training materials my staff could use to help make them more proficient. I learned that education, communication and persistence are key ...

Growing up, I wanted to be Angie Dickinson, who helped re-define women’s roles on television with her pioneering role on the 1970s show, Police Woman. As I got older, I realized that becoming Angie wasn’t an option for me; however, because of my father, manufacturing became interesting. From a young age, I would join him on the weekends as he went to work in maintenance at a manufacturing company. So, I guess you could say I have been in manufacturing since I was four! Many years later when I was a manufacturing manager for a company that was part of a very large corporation, a guy from corporate invited all the guys to play golf. The outing didn’t include ...

When I was younger, I knew that manufacturing was an option for me. I really wanted to become an engineer –– and I did! I've always been interested in how things work and how things are put together, which is what led me on the path I’m on today. I come from a family of farmers and manufacturing workers, and this gave me inspiration about manufacturing and solidified what I wanted for my career. As I started to progress in my field, barriers would pop up, such as being called “little lady” (a lot!). Something that helped me move beyond these sorts of obstacles was to ignore stereotypes and ill-informed people. Never let anyone undermine your capabilities. The ...

As a young woman, I never considered a career in manufacturing. However, my first job right out of high school was at Collins Avionics in Melbourne, Florida. I didn’t know it at the time, but this job would be the beginning of a lifelong career in this industry. Today, young women have the opportunity to build exciting and successful careers in manufacturing. One attractive benefit to a career in manufacturing is the ability to receive high wages at all different levels. This includes the ability to reach their maximum potential and possibly develop and manufacture something for our future. I have found that my passion for the field and continuing to be bold ...

I grew up in rural Georgia, and there, local manufacturers offered summer jobs to high school students. By default, I found my first job at a manufacturing plant that made women’s clothes. I think manufacturing was easy for me to choose because when I was a young girl. My father would take me to work with him on the weekends when he would check on operations at the local quarry. I was constantly around heavy equipment and manufacturing, so it’s what I knew. Manufacturing is exciting to me because it allows me to make great products and grow professionally. One of my favorite things about working in manufacturing has been working directly with people in operations. ...

When I was growing up, I didn’t know what I wanted to do careerwise. My dad worked in manufacturing, and that’s how I started to become curious about the sector, even though I didn’t jump right into the field. I started off as a waitress, and eventually, I moved to another state and started working in insurance claims. When I moved back to my hometown, I took a job at a medical device manufacturing company in inventory control. This job was the beginning of my career in customer service, logistics and materials management. Now, I am very happy to be working with manufacturing companies to help them grow, make improvements, and learn about new technology and opportunities. ...