Meet Kathy Ivie, plant manager in Ringtown, Pennsylvania.
03/11/2024
From a factory seamstress to plant manager and nationally recognized leader | Kathy Ivie's passion for manufacturing
Kathy Ivie starts work at 7:30 a.m. and hardly sits down during the day. “Everything happens quickly,” said the Ringtown, Pennsylvania JELD-WEN plant manager.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I absolutely love it,” she said of manufacturing, the industry she discovered decades ago.
Recipient of the Manufacturing Institute's 2024 Women MAKE Awards
On March 8, the Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, named Kathy a recipient of the 2023 Women MAKE Awards. This annual national awards program honors women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of manufacturing, from the factory floor to the C-Suite.
“With more than 600,000 open jobs in manufacturing today and the continued need to fill millions more jobs by the end of the decade, it’s critical for manufacturers to engage the largest underrepresented pool of talent: women,” said Manufacturing Institute President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee.
Getting her start
In high school, Kathy started as a machine operator in a sewing factory and later moved to Honeywell, where she spent most of her career. She held six leadership positions over 13 years, including overseeing protective equipment for firefighters – which she found especially rewarding.
In 2021, Kathy applied to JELD-WEN hoping to work again with two former Honeywell leaders who she respected immensely: Becky Keebler, JELD-WEN director of transformation management; and Gary Diesl, JELD-WEN vice president of operations excellence.
“Gary and Becky always have employees’ best interests at heart,” she said. “Good leaders – which they are – can see things in you that you don’t see yourself. I always strive to be that kind of leader, too.”
Becky is also quick to praise Kathy.
“Kathy is one of the most driven people I’ve ever met,” Becky said. “She simply doesn’t accept failure. She’s determined, not easily discouraged and thoroughly approachable. When you come up from the factory floor, you have a real respect for what those folks do and the value they bring to the organization.”
Making her mark
As Ringtown’s production manager, Kathy reported to Becky, who was the plant manager at the time. When Becky was promoted in February 2023, Kathy was promoted to her current role.
Kathy oversees the day-to-day plant operations and a workforce of about 300 associates. No two of Kathy’s days are alike, but they all start with a check-in with managers in which they discuss how the plant performed yesterday and their plan for today.
“I’m big on structure, standardization and schedule,” she said. “You get the best results when you control the noise. You make time for what’s important every day, and you manage anything unexpected that comes up.”
Kathy makes it a point to know the people in her plant, too. She’s quick to praise good work but doesn’t mind having tough conversations when needed.
“Kathy is very direct,” Becky said. “She excels at giving feedback, whether positive or constructive. I have known her to share tough feedback with employees in such a way that they thank her for it.”
Standing out in a male-dominated field
Kathy doesn’t mind being a woman in a male-dominated industry.
“I always felt I could have any opportunity I wanted,” she said. “Recently, one of our sales representatives held a customer visit at the plant. It was a team of all men, which I’m accustomed to and comfortable with,” she said. “But I realized at one moment that I was the only female in a room of 15 professionals, and it made me think women still have a ways to go.”
JELD-WEN believes that, too, and has committed to increased diversity in hiring and leadership roles in its latest ESG report.
Kathy said she encourages women just starting their careers to have a bias for saying “yes.”
“I've said 'yes' a lot in my career. Fear can lead us to say 'no' to an opportunity, which you'll often regret.
”
”
KATHY IVIE PLANT MANAGER
Kathy is proud to see women well represented on Ringtown’s production line, where there are nine female production leaders.
“I celebrate every one of them,” Kathy said. “They’re doing difficult, physical work – what people refer to as a ‘man’s job.’ But I give Becky credit for creating a strong foundation. We have a great team, and I have total confidence we’re going to take things to the next level.”