Latest WiM Chapter Events Make the News
Late last month, WiM held two events at Midwest chapters.
On January 22nd, we launched our professional chapter in Cleveland and held the group's first event - a tour of Lincoln Electric.
An article about the new chapter ran in the Plain Dealer. The article quotes Lisa Habe who is president and chairman of the board at Interlake Industries as well as a WiM board member.
"We need people to come in at all levels and we need to appear more women-friendly," she says in the article. "The concept is that you want to appear more women-friendly, because half of the workforce are women. If it takes us to create an organization like this, then so be it. Obviously there's a need for it, because it took off."
The article quotes several other WiM members as well as our director, Allison Grealis, who points out that WiM serves an important role, especially for small to midsize manufacturing companies who struggle to find the resources to dedicate to supporting women in their organizations.
Throughout the piece, an important point is made clear - the focus on women is as good for companies and for the manufacturing sector as it is for women
The article quotes Betsy Engels, the director of sales and marketing at Rapid Prototype Manufacturing and a WiM member. "It's not just about getting more women into manufacturing, it's really about strengthening manufacturing by engaging more people," she said. "If you focus on women, you're expanding your talent pool."
Read the full article for coverage of the event and of WiM.
The next week, on January 26th, our Wisconsin chapter hosted a luncheon with a high profile keynote speaker. Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch addressed the group and appealed to them in a special way.
"I'm the daughter of a manufacturer. I grew up literally playing hide-and-seek in between die cutters at an envelope factory," she said.
Asked what characteristics help women move up as leaders, Lt. Governoer Kleefisch answered frankly, "We need to assure that our young women can shake hands firmly, look people in the eye, have their elevator pitch mastered." She went on, "Make sure that they are confident and they speak when they have a terrific idea, instead of holding it in. We need them to have the confidence and assertiveness of someone who deserves that next spot."
More on the event is here on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's All Politics Blog.
Vist our website for a complete list of upcoming events and to learn how you can get involved with WiM.