Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 19, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 17 of a skilled production workforce. In Connecticut alone, manufacturers, including Pratt & Whitney and Elec- tric Boat in New London-Groton, are looking to fill more than 13,000 jobs. The state De- partment of Labor last week declared that manufac- turing's strong performance lifted Connecticut's overall job growth for 2017. Manufac- turing, the state said, citing state labor data, added 6,300 jobs last year, only the third annual gain for the sector in the past two decades. "With women representing less than a third of the manufacturing workforce,'' Deloitte said in the study, "it's clear manufacturers are missing out on a critical talent pool, which could aid remarkably in closing the skills gap." Despite stereotypes, signs are mounting that more females see them- selves designing and making machine parts and systems. UConn's School of Engineering, through a myriad of STEM recruiting- mentoring programs and outreach targeted at elementary, junior-high and high-school females, especially minorities, has ratched up its female enrollment. From 2010 to 2015, UConn's female engineering graduates rose 9.3 percent — highest among U.S. public universities in the period, the school said, according to a Washington Post survey that cited federal data. Nearly one in four of UConn's engi- neering gradu- ates in 2015 were women. "We try really hard to recruit undergraduate female engineer- ing students,'' said Mei Wei, UConn engineering instructor and associate dean for research and gradu- ate education who assists in the school's recruiting of female engineering pupils and instructors. Kevin McLaughlin is involved in similar efforts, directing the engi- neering school's Diversity & Outreach Center. McLaughlin lists nearly a half dozen school- and industry- sponsored networking and mentor- ship programs with women who work in engineering and manufacturing in which UConn is heavily involved to widen its promotional pipeline to potential female engineers. "If they don't see role models,'' he said, "not too many of them are going to continue. They have to see some- one who looks like them." Homegrown talent The Bartkowicz sisters point to twin role models — their father and mother. Richard and Sophie Bart- kowicz immigrated from Poland to the U.S. in 1970. They settled in New Britain, where Richard found work as a machine operator. Sophie worked nights at toolmaker Stanley Works. In 1978, the parents, while holding down full-time jobs at other manufac- turers, launched Richards Machine, renting space in the city and acquiring CNC machines to do fine milling work for early customers including former U.S. Surgical in North Haven, now Covi- dien. Richard Bartkowicz exposed both daughters to manufacturing early. "He put us on the machines when we were a little older,'' said Dorothy Bartkowicz Weber. When Richard Bartkowicz died of a heart attack in 2002 at age 50, Lillian Bartkowicz, then a student at Central Connecticut State University, acceler- ated plans to join the family business. Dorothy, then an occupational thera- pist in Hamden, came aboard in 2003. Bartkowicz Weber, whose husband Stephen Weber also works for Rich- ards, recalls the sisters' sobering early days running the company they say profitably generates about $3 million in yearly sales. "When I went on the road to make sales, I wasn't taken seriously,'' she said. " … I think people were a little skeptical of us running the business." But they won over skeptics, she said, with high-quality products, cus- tomer service and delivery. In recent years, Richards has invested more than $1 million, including with manu- facturers' assistance from the state, in new equipment and its purchase of an 18,000-square-foot Newington building, to relocate from Berlin. Bartkowicz Weber says she also witnessed over time improvements in attitudes toward women in manufac- turing. "From 15 years ago to today, I see changes,'' Bartkowicz Weber said. She said she encounters more fe- males in manufacturing sales and engi- neering today as Richards Machine and other employers seek to diversify their talent ranks, largely due to an overall shortage of manufacturing hands. Richards is grooming apprentices to help fill that gap. "Our biggest obstacle is help,'' Lil- lian Bartkowicz said. Bartkowicz Weber has no regrets about her career shift into manufac- turing. She even puts her occupation- al therapy skills to work occasionally. "I'm always making sure employees are trained with proper lifting tech- niques and maintaining a safe, clean work environment,'' she said. Manufacturing Workforce in Connecticut Here's a list of various manufacturing jobs and titles in Connecticut, broken down by gender. Employed Employed Occupation Male Female Chief executives and legislators/public administration 2,646 467 General and operations managers 1,803 353 Managers in marketing, advertising, and PR 2,072 942 Computer and information systems managers 1,153 409 Human resources managers 433 879 Architectural and engineering managers 1,064 78 Total 21,961 7,959 Source: American Community Survey 2012-2016 Five Year Sample ing embraced more on the shop floor and as leaders in the executive suite — fact or fantasy? A: Both! Although we have made big strides in representation in leader- ship, there is still work to be done on the shop floor. Females still need to be 'tough enough' to work on the floor, which tells me that everyone isn't be- ing as inclusive as they could be. Women bring a different perspec- tive that should be embraced to make better decisions, not made to feel less than adequate if they don't possess the 'right' personality to make it day to day in the manufac- turing environment. Q: What do women bring more of to the manufacturing table as leaders than males? A: Women bring a different per- spective and typically, a more holistic view of how to solve a problem. We're (mostly) born multi-taskers and the manufacturing environment requires that skill every day. We also tend to be more thoughtful and considerate of all the stakeholders, listening to all sides and developing a solution that works for most, if not all of them. Of course, this is a generality and some may say a stereotype, but it's my experience and has made the women I know successful — especially when working in teams in multiple loca- tions and with different needs. Q: What leadership hurdles still face women in manufacturing? A: There is still much to do in tackling unconscious bias for women in manufacturing and all STEM fields. Company culture is typically not aligned with the values of true diversity and inclusion principles. Too much of what happens in leader- ship decision-making is about who you know and skills based on male- centered definitions of success. For example, traits considered de- sirable in strong male leaders (quick decision-making, tough questioner, etc.) are seen as unattractive for women (bossy, pushy, etc.). Q: Any other relevant thoughts? A: Manufacturing is an exciting place to be for women and there are lots of opportunities. We can't effect change if we're not here to drive awareness, highlight biases, and be part of the con- versation on improvements. Rebecca Karabin-Ahern is co-president of Acme Monaco Corp. in New Britain. Why is manufacturing still male-dominated? Source: Deloitte's "2015 Women in manufacturing study: Exploring the gender gap," which surveyed 600 professional women in the manufacturing industry. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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