How American Licorice Company’s Female Manufacturing Leaders Are Making a Difference
Despite the progress that has been made, women occupy only 30% of the manufacturing workforce today. American Licorice is the proud home to 15 female shift coaches and team leaders, who are helping to drive our operations in La Porte, Indiana, home to the SOUR PUNCH® brand.
Together, these women occupy almost 50% of leadership positions in Sour Punch production. We wanted to showcase their strengths and contributions, so we surveyed them to understand more about what drew them to manufacturing, what keeps them going, and why the industry needs more women.
Hear more from some of these amazing female leaders, including Katey Masepohl, Tina Losiniecki, Amber Franco, Jackie Anderson, Ashley Franckowski, Alazra Walker, and Summer Miller, about how they seek to empower their teams and support other women.
What Drew You to Manufacturing?
Katey Masepohl (KM): I applied at ALC by accident. I had never worked in manufacturing before. All my previous jobs had to deal with the public or customer service roles, so I was happy to not be doing that anymore.
Tina Losiniecki (TL): My brother started working at American Licorice shortly before I did, and he told me how much fun it was to work with candy. He encouraged me to get into the manufacturing field.
Amber Franco (AM): When you work in manufacturing, multiple career opportunities, paths, and advancements are available to you.
Jackie Anderson (JA): It just kind of happened. I needed a job and found out about ALC hiring from an associate that was working here at the time and I have been here ever since. Now I have been with the company going on 10 years in Sept.
Ashley Franckowski (AF): Watching things being made from scratch is satisfying. I’ve always been interested in creating things and even grew up watching the “How It’s Made” show on TV.
Alazra Walker (AW): My mother worked in a different factory and told me how much she loved it.
Summer Miller (SM): Manufacturing is a high speed/high reward job. Every day is something new and something changes every day; it’s never boring.
What are some things you admire about the women in your life?
KM: There are a lot of women in my life I have respect for. Women like Tina, Ashley, Jackie. I have a lot of respect for being single moms [and] holding full time jobs. It’s a lot. You want to be a good mom and good at your job and there’s times you have to pick between the two and that’s hard. But those ladies do both. It’s impressive.
TL: I do not have any “parental woman figures” left in my life, as I have lost all of my grandparents and more recently my Mother. But, while my mother was alive I admired her love for everyone she met. She always saw the best in people and loved to watch others prosper. I like to believe that I got that trait from her.
AM: What’s not to admire? The women in my life are strong-willed, hard-working women. They work full-time jobs, have families, and just spread positivity everywhere they go.
JA: They are caring, strong, smart, independent, and hard working.
AF: I haven’t had very many women in my life to look up to growing up. I try to think and act like someone I would like to admire. Compassionate, confident, and emotionally strong.
AW: I admire how strong they can be even when the world is dragging them down, how much they have achieved in their life with the cards they have been dealt with, and being there for each other when the other needs it.
SM: They are dedicated to their faith and family. They are strong willed, hardworking, and encouraging.
Why does the manufacturing industry need more women?
KM: Manufacturing needs more women for fresh thoughts and ideas. I can’t tell you how many times I’m at work or in a meeting and I’m the only woman in the group. It’s uncomfortable sometimes. But I’ve always tried to force myself to be uncomfortable in those situations and speak up so other women would be more comfortable to do the same.
TL: I feel that the manufacturing industry needs more women to integrate “soft skills” or people skills into the workplace. Women naturally have a more caring tendency about them, which is important when building strong team skills.
AM: Women have played an increasingly important role in the manufacturing sector, contributing to its growth, innovation, and sustainability.
JA: I feel women and men think differently, so a good mix of both would benefit any business, to have different mindsets working together towards a common goal.
AF: Women offer a different viewpoint from men since we’ve had different life experiences.
AW: I feel like the manufacturing industry would be better organized and have people taking care of each other more.
SM: Women are more compassionate in certain areas, also they can offer advice in certain areas as well.
As a leader, how do you support and empower other women?
KM: Back them up and challenge them. For whatever reason, it’s almost instilled in us early on that we shouldn’t challenge things or disagree. Speaking up for other women and their ideas if they’re too shy to do it on their own. Sharing knowledge and experience with each other. A big one is sharing mistakes and what you would have done differently. Empower them to make mistakes, take risks, and feel comfortable and confident to speak up once they have something to say.
TL: I encourage women to believe in themselves and give them advice from the years of experience I have. I also make sure to be positive and focus on their strengths to show them their worth.
AM: I just try to always be positive and build them up for the day ahead. I listen to them if they have problems or concerns and try to help where I can.
JA: I try to be compassionate, encouraging and lead by example. I also try to provide emotional support when I see or feel they need it. I want them to feel comfortable coming to me, so I try to build trust with them.
AF: I try to encourage others to speak up and share their views.
AW: I always try to tell other women that they are strong and powerful and to not let others get in their way
SM: By being a supportive coworker, always having my ears open when they need to vent or brainstorm ideas whatever the case may be. By always trying to uplift anyone that may need it.
What advice would you give to future generations of women in manufacturing?
KM: Don’t let anyone doubt your abilities. Just because traditionally, something has been a male-dominated role doesn’t mean you can’t do it or wouldn’t be good at it. I think sometimes things stay that way because no one is willing to take that chance. When I started at ALC there were no females in management on the operations side. Now there’s more women coaches than men. There’s a quote by Steve Martin I’ve always thought about. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing or what they think. Do what you need to do and do it well.
TL: Always believe in yourself and shoot for your goals. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do something that will make you happy.
AM: Make complacency your enemy.
JA: Never let anyone tell you what your limits are and always do your best.
AF: Learn as much as you can! You can get anywhere if you put your mind and hard work into it!
AW: To not let others determine you by the way you look. Even the strongest look weak but still persevere.
SM: Never feel like you aren’t entitled because you’re female. Don’t be intimidated by heavy or awkward jobs. Just keep applying yourself and keep your head up.
How has being a woman impacted your role at ALC?
KM: I think it’s forced me to learn more. For me I don’t want to be good enough, I want to be better. I remember when I was the lead in sanitation, I would be challenged with questions by male coworkers to see what I knew. I wanted to prove why I was in that role, so I learned as much as I could about the equipment and didn’t shy away from the physicality of the job. Being doubted made me better. I’ll always carry that mentality with me.
TL: I am fortunate enough to work for a company that is pretty inclusive of everyone, so I haven’t felt a huge impact on my role.
AM: I feel as though my workers feel comfortable coming to me with concerns or issues that I might be able to help with.
JA: I don’t feel it has, I always try my best and in doing so I was able to go from a production associate to shift coach. I think it is a great company that recognizes our strengths and allows us to grow as much as we want regardless of gender.
AF: I feel that ALC has been open and encouraging for women to succeed and advance throughout the company!
AW: Well a lot of the men here tend to look at me as a woman and don’t think I know anything. But I have had opportunities to prove them wrong, so it’s made me stronger as a person.
SM: Sometimes the thoughts and ideas I give aren’t always heard or seen. Sometimes it feels like I must beg for someone to hear/see my side.
