Using the gender divide to fill the work-shortage gap
By Trade Only Today
Lund and Crestliner have launched a recruitment plan to increase the number of women on the boat builders’ production floor. The Brunswick companies said that more than 20 percent of the workforce at its New York Mills, Minn., facility are women and that number is “steadily” increasing.
"So far this year, women account for 25 percent of our new hires," said Lynda Everson, human resources manager at the facility, in a statement. “All are contributing to our boatmaking efforts."
The company said that attracting new employees to the New York Mills facility has been crucial to its growth. Brunswick moved Crestliner production to New York Mills in 2010. Since then, demand for the two brands continues to grow as aluminum boat sales still rising. During the period of high demand, the facility has also needed to replace employees as they retire. All of that comes at a time when skilled workers are in short supply.
Women represent 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force, according to the National Association of Manufacturing, but only 27 percent of the manufacturing workforce.
Everson saw the gender divide as a way to fill the work-shortage gap. "We formed our Women in Manufacturing Group at New York Mills, and got to work," she said. "Among its goals are to help members leverage their strengths for personal development as well as develop a network to generate ideas and share best practices of how we can improve both our own careers as well as better the plant's performance."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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