TINLEY PARK, Ill. — Panduit Corp., is proud to announce that The Manufacturing Institute (MI)—the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)—has recognized Cheryl Vlach, SavvyStock Senior Manager, and Sofia Reising, Enterprise Risk Management Analyst, as a 2023 Women MAKE Awards Honoree and Emerging Leader, respectively. This annual national awards program honors women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite.
The Women MAKE Awards are part of MI’s Women MAKE America initiative, which is the nation’s marquee program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. With women accounting for less than one-third of the manufacturing workforce, Women MAKE America aims to create a 21st-century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the industry.
Women MAKE Awards Honoree Vlach is a leader, a mentor, and an advocate for the next generation of women in her industry. During her 26-year career at Panduit, Vlach has held several leadership roles specializing in software consulting for customers in the electrical, industrial, automation, and network infrastructure industries. With the goal of helping customers optimize profitability, Vlach leads a team of IT developers and implementation specialists in managing end-customer supply channel needs through the SavvyStock™ software platform.
From arranging networking events to engaging with area college students who are interested in STEM, Vlach is dedicated to creating opportunities that enable rising female talent to succeed. In addition to serving as president of the Panduit Empowering Women’s Success employee resource group (ERG), Vlach has partnered with human resources to develop a program that matches women with Panduit managers and leaders to discuss various career-related topics. Her commitment to service also extends to her involvement in numerous organizations and service groups from volunteering as a religious education teacher to organizing a donation drive for people impacted by a recent tornado in her area to volunteering her time to the Girl Scouts and Hands, Hope, and Hooves Ranch.
In her role as an Enterprise Risk Management analyst, Emerging Leader award recipient Reising’s initiative, collaborative nature, and organizational skills have led to her eliminating processing errors and reducing manual processes. She also earned a nomination for a Panduit Innovation Award for her work in creating intuitive digital tools that enable Panduit to deliver greater value to our distributor partners Reising also participates in several Panduit ERGs, was selected to be part of the company’s first ERG mentoring program cohort in 2021, and serves as an informal mentor, coach, and “buddy” to Panduit interns. Giving back is also important to Reising, and she supports numerous charities including CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates), Mission 1, Feed My Starving Children, the Ronald McDonald House, and the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
On April 20th, the MI will recognize 130 recipients of the Women MAKE Awards in Washington, D.C. The evening will highlight each Honoree and Emerging Leader’s story, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.
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