Julie Martin of 89 North Receives National Award Recognizing Leading Women in Manufacturing

The Manufacturing Institute has recognized Julie Martin of VTTA member companhy 89 North as an Honoree in their ninth annual STEP Ahead Awards, and will celebrate her achievements, along with other honorees, at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry. The award follows Julie’s recent promotion to Vice President.

“I’m honored — and honestly, humbled — to be recognized in this way,” said Julie Martin. “Throughout my career I’ve enjoyed a great deal of support from so many people. It’s a privilege to have the platform this award provides to inspire and engage with young women who might be considering careers in manufacturing; I’m truly honored.”
“The biggest challenge facing manufacturers continues to be our growing workforce crisis — the shortage of skilled talent to fill open positions” said Manufacturing Institute’s Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “We’ve calculated that we can close the skills gap by 50% by simply bringing 10% more women into the industry. While women account for about half of the U.S. labor force, they represent less than one-third of the manufacturing workforce. We’re looking to celebrate talented professionals like Julie, who are making an impact.”

The STEP Women’s Initiative, who hosts the awards, is the nation’s marquee program looking to close the gender gap in manufacturing. STEP works to foster a 21st-century manufacturing workforce by actively supporting women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership, as well as by motivating alumnae to ‘pay it forward’ by mentoring the next generation.

Janette Bombardier, who serves as COO/CTO of 89 North’s parent company Chroma Technology, said, “This is both a wonderful recognition for Julie, and an important opportunity for young women in our area to see a role model so worthy of this impressive national recognition. There are so many different types of opportunities for women in manufacturing — this is a great chance to spread that news.”

Martin will be fêted during a gala in Washington, D.C. on November 4th. The program will highlight each honoree’s story, including her leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing. The goal is to help inspire the next generation of female leaders in the field of manufacturing and to support female talent already in place within the industry.