On the first day of AGG1, Women in Aggregates (WIA) – formed by SEMCO Publishing, the parent company of Rock Products magazine – sponsored a successful AGG1 Academy session and networking mixer at the Music City Center in Nashville.
The interactive “Finding the Next Generation of Women in the Aggregates Industry” panel featured Resa Furey, marketing & business development manager, Global Mining at Stantec; Raquel Lazur, project manager – Southwest Aggregates at Heidelberg Materials; and Karen Thompson, president at Haver & Boecker Niagara, sharing their own experiences, as well as advice on how to recruit and retain the next generation of women in the aggregates industry.
The panel was moderated by Rock Products Managing Editor Josephine Patterson.
“It was great to hear from my fellow panelists, especially noting the differences in our own experiences based on our different seniority in the industry,” said Thompson. “The conversation on engaging more women in the aggregates industry through affiliations with universities and colleges, job fairs, and even something as simple as the appropriate formatting of a job description, were all very valuable.”
Ericka Baxter, operations manager at Capital Materials, said “I always enjoy my time with all the amazing women in aggregates. Each time we have come together there are more new faces and I’m thankful for this growing group. If you haven’t come to one of the mixers, join us next time!”
WIA hopes to hold more mixers and events in the upcoming year. Patterson urges those that would like to help see the group grow to join the LinkedIn group and share their thoughts. Together, we can create a vibrant future where women have equal opportunities to lead, innovate, and drive the aggregates industry forward.