Melissa Greenlee has been with Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corporation for 15 years now, and this is a milestone year for her following her selection last week as one of an elite Top 100 women to receive the National Association of Manufacturer’s Manufacturing Institute 2019 STEP Ahead award.
Greenlee is one of a select group of women to receive the annual award, which celebrates female leaders in the manufacturing industry. She has enjoyed a 15-year career with Whirlpool, and is currently the Director of Engineering at the company’s plant based in Findlay, Ohio. In April, she will be formally recognized as one of 100 Honorees at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.
Jim Keppler is Vice President of the North American Region’s Integrated Supply Chain & Quality team for Whirlpool. He tells us, “Melissa is the consummate professional who is known for her ability to drive differentiated business results while being an exceptional developer of people. She is a role model for other women in manufacturing at Whirlpool Corporation.” Keppler adds, “Melissa is very deserving of this honor and I’m proud to see her contributions recognized.”
The STEP – Science, Technology, Engineering and Production – Ahead initiative first began in 2012, and is meant to celebrate outstanding leadership, inspire the next generation and document best practices to empower female talent in manufacturing.
Melissa herself says, “Manufacturing represents the true essence of craftsmanship and the American pride that our employees have in their work.” She adds, “As a leader, I have been given opportunities to grow and develop many individuals, as well as myself, all striving to manufacture family-oriented products.”
Byron Green is Vice President of North American Region Manufacturing for Whirlpool. He says, “One of Melissa’s greatest strengths is her ability to lead people and, in doing so, help push Whirlpool Corporation forward.” He adds, “She has guided employees at the Findlay plant to successfully implement technology and processes that are now considered best practices company-wide. Her leadership allows us to continue to push the boundaries in the fast-changing manufacturing industry.”
Here is the formal bio from the Manufacturing Institute, detailing Melissa’s successes with Whirlpool:
As Director of Operations at Whirlpool’s plant in Findlay, OH, Melissa Greenlee has managed a spend of more than $65M across many new product launches and a variety of projects. Under her strong and agile leadership, her team has developed new concepts for an oven cavity and dishwasher tub, installed new Industry 4.0 technology automation, and increased production capacities.
Melissa recently led a multiyear transformation of the technology and processes inside the launch of a new product. This required developing a new manufacturing process to integrate a programming technology to flash controls within the factory. The process devised by Melissa and her team is now considered a best practice, to be carried across all Whirlpool plants in future product launches.
She is an active member of the Whirlpool Women’s Network (WWN), an employee resource group working to engage and empower women. As part of this initiative, Melissa co-chaired a mentor circle for female engineers at Whirlpool’s five Ohio plants. She also facilitated a StrengthsFinder 2.0 session at the Clyde, OH, plant to help female employees develop their talents. In 2017, Melissa directly mentored ten technical professionals, who were so enthusiastic about the process that they are now moving forward as mentors themselves to pay it forward. She also works tirelessly to inspire the next generation by promoting STEM activities in local schools.
Melissa is an engaged member of the Findlay community. She is active in her church, teaching Sunday School and donating to every food drive. She also regularly runs in 5K races to benefit local charities. Melissa understands the importance of supporting local businesses and shops local whenever possible. She also makes time to volunteer at the local soup kitchen as well as with her daughter’s school activities.
She’ll pick up the actual trophy in Washington next month for her recognition.
