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As for the stigma that manufacturing means working in dirty
factories or is just for men, that couldn't be further from the
truth these days, Barry said. She urges women to be open
minded, educate themselves and go see local manufacturing
facilities and opportunities they may offer, including training.
"Women have a different skill set," she said. "It's all about
advocating for yourself."
Leading a team of 21
Amy LaBarre of Southington always thought she'd be a
doctor. She graduated from Western Connecticut State
University with a degree in chemistry with a concentration in
biochemistry.
"I thought I would discover a medication and get a Nobel
Prize," LaBarre said.
But she said at the same time, she was always interested in
manufacturing and how things were made. Her father worked
in manufacturing at East Hartford aerospace manufacturer
Pratt & Whitney for over 30 years, LaBarre said. As a college
student, she remembers taking things apart such as vacuum
cleaners.
"I'd try and repair it so I didn't have to throw it out," she said.
What she does now still involves the medical field and is still
rewarding; she's just not contributing in quite the way she
thought she originally might.
Amy LaBarre
TITLE: Director of quality
COMPANY:
RK Manufacturing Corp., Danbury
AGE: 55
LIVES: Southington
FULL HOUSE: She has two turtles
named Laverne and Shirley, two
rescue cats, a dog and a human son
