Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1170706
2 0 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 9 S T U F F M a d e I n C T . c o m FactOId 17% 20% Increase in the average annual pay of Connecticut manufacturing workers since 2008 How much more Connecticut manufacturing workers make compared to the U.S. average manufacturing salary. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics like her in leadership roles, as well. LaBarre's day-to-day responsibilities vary. Overall, she ensures the company is following federal regulations, leads her team, makes morning rounds to answer questions or see if there is anything she can help with, and leads meetings. Variety is robust in her daily duties, she said. Ultimately, she is responsible for making sure products meet requirements before they get shipped to customers. The variation in her daily duties and the changing culture of manufacturing overall has LaBarre upbeat. "The opportunities for women are pretty much endless, thanks to new training to change that [traditional] mindset," she said. "Women are valuable and have a lot to offer. It gave me travel opportunities I probably wouldn't have had otherwise. I also get to get my geek on and work with statistics and data analytics," she said. LaBarre sees more programs and efforts to diversify the field with more women and expects to see even more, with industry benefit overall. Focused under pressure Karen Flanagan is a quality supervisor with Okay Industries, a company making components for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in medical and automotive markets, among others. She came to the manufacturing field quite by accident. During the annual seasonal shutdown in her work in the food-service field, Okay Industries was doing some temporary hiring for data-entry-type work, and she decided to try it. Now, 13 years later, she's a full-time Okay Industries employee who has worked her way up. Flanagan began as an entry-level inspector, moving up over the years into her current supervisory role. As it turns out, elements of the industry fit with her personality and skill set. "I am a multitasker who enjoys learning," Flanagan said. Multitasking, as well the abilities to focus under pressure and deliver people skills were strengths she developed in the food-service industry; she found they aided in her success in manufacturing. Flanagan would love to see more women in the field. She finds inspiration in the abilities of people around her at work. "It's amazing to see how things come together," she said. Okay Industries' Marketing Manager Angela Dillon has seen firsthand how Flanagan has risen through the ranks. "Manufacturing lends itself to opportunity to grow and chart your own path," Dillon said. "That's what Karen's shown." $