Women in Manufacturing Blog

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, Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More

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 Read More