Women in the Composites Industry brings together women for networking, educational opportunities

Women in the Composites Industry (WCI) is a growing organization dedicated to creating opportunities for women in composites to come together to network, learn and grow in their careers. Marcy Offner, director of marketing and communications at Composites One (Schaumburg, Ill., U.S.), says she first presented the idea for WCI at CAMX 2019, after she attended a campfire talk geared toward women in the industry. “There was an incredible turnout, and I thought, clearly there’s a need for a space for women in this industry, to talk about what it looks like to be a woman in a male-dominated space.”

Offner approached ACMA (the American Composites Manufacturers’ Association, Arlington, Va., U.S.) with the idea of starting a women-focused industry group. After receiving initial support, she began connecting with ACMA’s board of directors and other leaders about making it happen.

Over the past three years, the resulting Women in the Composites Industry organization has had a booth and held successful networking events for women at trade shows like CAMX, SAMPE and JEC World, and has hosted a series of online webinars.

The mission of WCI, Offner says, is to provide networking opportunities specific to women in the industry and opportunities for advancement in women’s careers. “A group like WIC provides a space to talk about things like inclusivity, biases in the workplace, equity and mentorship,” she adds.

Education and training opportunities have also become key to WCI’s goals. Recently, the group, in partnership with glass fiber supplier Owens Corning (Toledo, Ohio, U.S.), held its first live standalone event, a Composites 101 training course held Sept. 13-14, 2023, at Owens Corning’s Science and Technology Center in Granville, Ohio, U.S.

 

First live training and networking event

Owens Corning regularly offers training at its Granville location on the basics of glass fiber manufacturing, types of glass fiber products, industry applications and composites manufacturing processes. Typically, these trainings are held for Owens Corning employees and representatives from customers and distributors.

Paige Johnson, global product director for glass reinforcements at Owens Corning, and Colleen Kennedy, sales leader at Owens Corning, approached the WCI team at CAMX 2022 with the idea of expanding this internal training for women across the composites industry.

“Inclusion and diversity are key tenets of Owens Corning,” Johnson says, and explains that the company has in recent years set up diversity-focused internal groups like “Women in Operations” and the “Womens Inclusion Network,” and has several initiatives in place to foster inclusivity and attract a broader range of talent.

These ideas led Johnson, Kennedy and others at Owens Corning to get involved with WCI. “I really want to drive women in the industry,” Johnson says. Why a women-focused training program specifically? She explains, “Research shows that women are more confident when they have the right knowledge and can see the whole picture, and that helps them to use their voice. This type of training is one way to help women in this industry gain that knowledge and build confidence.”

Owens Corning adapted its internal training, which is usually extended to about 10-12 external trainees at a time, to a larger, broad audience of 44 WCI participants. “This type of training is clearly in high demand, selling out within days and with many people on the waitlist,” Johnson notes.

The event kicked off with a panel discussion led by Offner and WCI leaders Megan Multanen, co-CEO of bath and shower manufacturer Best Bath (Caldwell, Idaho, U.S.); Tina Pickerel, corporate engineer at Owens Corning; and Shelly Bennion, general manager at resin and surface technology supplier Hawkeye Industries (Bloomington, Calif., U.S.).

The panelists offered their experiences as women in the industry over the course of their careers, and led a discussion on topics such as navigating biases in the workplace, advocating for a more inclusive workspace and overcoming imposter syndrome or insecurities as the only woman in the room. “It’s not about not having men in the room. It’s about bringing women into the conversation,” Offner noted during the panel discussion.

Over the following 2 days, women of all levels of experience representing companies across the composites industry — resin suppliers, distributors, fabricators, OEMs and more — attended educational sessions and practical demonstrations, along with opportunities for networking.

“This event has been a good opportunity to get women together, and we would love to do more of these with other partner companies as well,” Offner says.

What’s next for WCI?

According to Johnson, Owens Corning plans to stay involved with WCI and hopes to offer more trainings and evolve the program in future.

Another goal for WCI is for the group to grow into a mentorship program for women who are new in their careers within the composites industry. “We receive a lot of feedback that women in the industry are looking for someone to teach them the ropes and for a safe and supportive space to learn,” Offner says.

As the group grows, she adds that the organization may look into transitioning into a formal foundation, in order to expand the ways WCI can support its members and accept financial support and partnership from companies who wish to become involved.

In the immediate future, WCI will also continue to have a presence at upcoming industry events. Next up, stop by their booth at CAMX 2023, which will be held Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in Atlanta, Ga., U.S. WCI will also host a panel discussion during the event, and a networking cocktail reception on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at the booth.