"There is a tremendous opportunity for women to influence the manufacturing industry in a positive way," says Lisa Dach, the strategic business advisor at the Northwest Industrial Resource Center (NWIRC),part of the Pennsylvania MEPand the MEP National Network^TM."Women in leadership improve the recruiting and retention efforts of manufacturers."

Dach is making her mark in the industry by creating and implementing solutions for Pennsylvania manufacturers, including improving processes and increasing efficiencies. She helps manufacturers connect and collaborate with industry experts and regional partners. Dach customizes services for every client, with a focus on people, production, and profitability.

Introducing young women to the world of manufacturing

Dach is an active member of Women in Manufacturing (WiM), the only national and global trade association dedicated to providing dedicated support to women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry. As a past WiM board member and educational chair, Dach has helped introduce young women, especially those in high school or college, to the world of manufacturing.

Dach's WiM chapter and MEP Center collaborated to host a virtual STEM Day in 2023, which included a panel of women from the fields of mechanical, biomedical, civil, industrial, and chemical engineering. Nearly the entire panel of women worked in manufacturing.

"They each shared their story of pursuing careers where there are a fewer number of women as well as the challenges and opportunities that were presented in their education," Dach says. "All the panelists agreed that now is a cool time to be a woman in an engineering field because it is a chance to be a trailblazer!"

It takes courage to step into leadership

Dach graduated college with a degree in fashion merchandising and was promoted to a district manager position while still in her 20s. While it was a bit overwhelming at the time, she learned the importance of being curious, asking questions, getting comfortable with not having all the answers, and being brave enough to say "yes" to challenges. Looking back on her career, Dach says being brave enough to walk through new doors led to the best career opportunities of her life, including manufacturing.

"After 19 amazing years in executive leadership with a company I loved, it was sold, and I was laid off," she says. "It was a complete gut punch, but just three days later I got a call that would change my career pathway. A friend who was the VP of marketing for a national manufacturer wanted me to apply for the position of director of sales for the company she was with. She had the vision that my skills could be applied in manufacturing, and they desperately needed leadership. I went from pumps to steel-toed shoes!"

New doors are opening to women in manufacturing

Dach says there are now great opportunities for women in manufacturing, whether their passion is in production, engineering, human resources, marketing, or sales. She says these skills and backgrounds are all important for creating success in manufacturing.

"I think the industry is changing," she says. "I think right now manufacturing is a fabulous place for women to be! Women are exceptionally skilled at people development. As leaders, they understand how important it is to create opportunities for diverse groups of people."

Lessons learned on the road to leadership

"If you have a decision to make and you are not sure how to make it, use your network to figure it out," Dach says.

She says this is one of the biggest lessons she learned in her career. When she was hired at the NWIRC and was assigned three counties of clients, she knew very few people in manufacturing in those areas. She had to figure out how to find clients who needed her MEP Center's services. So, she created a priority list of who she wanted to work with and used her network and resources to meet them.

"I always tell my daughter and the young people I am mentoring that when you are young, your network is your net worth," she says. "You must keep building that network because it will become a valuable resource."

Make new connections at your local MEP Center

Dach says it is the nature of most people in manufacturing that they want to become part of a network. All you have to do is make that first connection.

"This is the case at our MEP Center, with WiM and the MEP National Network," she says. I love connecting with people, helping them build their networks, and utilizing their resources. At NWIRC, we network with other women within the MEP National Network and through our 13 counties to support each other."

If you want to connect and learn from women in the manufacturing industry, reach out to your local MEP Center. You can learn about programs and initiatives in the MEP National Network that are getting women more involved in manufacturing.

Lisa Dach, a Strategic Business Advisor with NWIRC, serves manufacturers in the 13 counties of northwestern Pennsylvania. In her role, she assists companies with business growth opportunities, supporting their needs to become more competitive through continuous improvement, technology advancement, and workforce development initiatives. Lisa has more than 20 years of executive management experience working with Fortune 500, privately-owned, and nonprofit organizations. She is a collaborative leader and problem solver with a proven ability to create and implement solutions, improve processes, and increase efficiency.

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