Industry’s most influential women named at inaugural Manufacturing Mavens Awards

Ten women making an impact as leaders in the manufacturing industry were recognized Thursday at the 2023 South Carolina Manufacturing Conference and Expo.

The women were honored for being part of a small but growing and important part of the state’s manufacturing landscape during the inaugural Manufacturing Mavens Awards.

“It’s an important recognition, as less than 25% of executive leadership in South Carolina’s manufacturing sector is female,” said SC Biz News Publisher Donna Bischoff. “Today, we’re going to start moving that needle.”

The awards were preceded by a panel discussion moderated by Catherine Hayes, industry manager at the South Carolina Research Authority.

Panelists were Nicki Creech, leadership and transformation specialist with BMW Manufacturing; Leslie Farmer, program integrator for Lockheed Martin’s F-16 portfolio and the company’s Greenville site; Mary Ellen Grom, executive director, customer experience solutions, at AFL; Elba Lizardi site manager for BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions; and rounding out the panel was Annekatherin Mueller, vice president of commercial plant manager at Bosch Charleston. Panelists opened up the awards show with success stories, advice and how they have changed the stereotypes surrounding a historically male-dominated industry. A key takeaway from the panelists was that being a leader is about doing the hard work with the people you are leading.

The 10 Manufacturing Mavens Awards went to:

• Laura Bordeaux, plant manager at Zeus Industrial Products Inc.
• Donna Brin, founder and CEO of bFIVE40, a custom manufacturer of technical textiles made with recycled fibers and owner of sports apparel brand.
• Lisa Gunton, vice president of human resources for AFL.
• Nicole Johnson, co-founder of Boyd Cycling.
• Elba Lizardi, is the site manager for BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions.
• Sherry McCraw, the vice president of human resources at BMW Manufacturing Co
• Annekatherin Mueller, plant manager at Bosch.
• Elizabeth Rhue, vice president of Global Environmental, Sustainability and Technical Services at Sonoco Products Co.
• Adrienne Temple, vice president of Training Programs at the South Carolina South Carolina Extension Partnership.
• Rashmi Vadlakonda, a SMART Transformation SME for Trane Technologies’ Columbia facility.