Three women in the tire industry were recently honored by The Manufacturing Institute for excellence and leadership in manufacturing.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.’s Anne Roman and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Lori Miller and Jennie Tinney will receive Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards in Washington, D.C., on April 10, 2018. They were among 130 women nationally who earned the honor this year from a field of hundreds of nominees.
Roman, vice president of communications and public affairs, joined Cooper in 2012. She is responsible for leading global internal and external communications as well as the company’s philanthropy initiatives. Roman currently serves on the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) public relations committee, is a member of the Economic Development Council for Findlay-Hancock County (Ohio), and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.
She is one of six Cooper employees to receive this honor in the last three years.
"Anne is a talented manufacturing leader exemplary of the many outstanding women who work at Cooper," says Brad Hughes, Cooper’s CEO and president. "She has made significant impacts both within our organization and throughout the community, and it is gratifying to see her earn this recognition for her efforts."
Miller, a 20-year Goodyear associate, has been the materials manager for Goodyear’s Topeka, Kan., plant since 2015. Her leadership has led to numerous process improvements throughout the plant, including an inventory scanning system she implemented that drastically reduced product delays due to improved material flow. She also has improved the communication and relationships between the Topeka associates and its peer plants, resulting in increased collaboration and best practice sharing.
Tinney served as the materials manager at Goodyear’s race tire manufacturing plant in Akron, Ohio, for more than four years before taking over as enterprise project leader in Feb. 2018. As materials manager, she oversaw the movement of all tire production material throughout the facility.
Since joining Goodyear in 2009, Tinney has demonstrated the ability to drive system and process improvements. In 2017, Tinney was responsible for a significant improvement in inventory accuracy, resulting in cost savings.
“The STEP Ahead Awards give us an opportunity to formally recognize the achievements of outstanding women in our manufacturing business," says Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear’s Americas region. "Since joining Goodyear, both of these associates have demonstrated the ability to lead teams, manage projects, mentor their peers and make a positive impact in the community."
The Manufacturing Institute launched the STEP Ahead initiative in 2012 to showcase the impact of women in manufacturing to help attract and retain the talent the industry needs to succeed. The STEP Ahead Awards program, now in its sixth year, recognizes women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of manufacturing, from the factory floor to senior executive leadership.
