BASF joins The Manufacturing Institute to honor outstanding women in manufacturing

Two BASF employees honored; Alderman named 2016-2017 chair of STEP Ahead

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., May 3, 2016 – BASF joins The Manufacturing Institute to recognize the importance of women in manufacturing through the fourth-annual STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards. BASF sponsored this year’s awards ceremony on April 21 in Washington, D.C.

“BASF salutes The Manufacturing Institute for its role as a leading advocate of advancing women in the field,” said Tom Yura, BASF Senior Vice President of BASF’s Geismar site and Board Member of the National Association of Manufacturers. “BASF strives to expand opportunities for women and develop more female leaders in our industry.”

Two employees, Nicole McGlone-Santistevan, BASF Vice President of Operations Industrial Petrochemicals in Freeport, Texas, and Christen Campbell, BASF Environmental Health and Safety Specialist in Geismar, Louisiana, received STEP Ahead awards, which honored 130 women nationally for their achievements in manufacturing.

In addition, The Manufacturing Institute named Heidi Alderman, BASF Senior Vice President of Petrochemicals North America, as STEP Ahead Chairwoman for 2016-2017. Alderman served on the advisory committee for the development of The Manufacturing Institute’ new toolkit, LEAD: Becoming an Impactful Voice to the Next Generation of Talent. The toolkit is designed for women in manufacturing to reach the next generation of talent by being ambassadors for the industry.

A 2015 survey from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that 80 percent of American manufacturing companies have a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers. Contributing to this gap is the under-representation of women in the industry. Women make up nearly half of the nation's labor pool, yet comprise just over a quarter of the manufacturing labor force.

“With a skills gap of two million unfilled jobs over the next decade, it is crucial to attract, retain and recruit women into the manufacturing workforce,” said Jennifer McNelly, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute. “Our work with BASF and other industry leaders has been instrumental to our STEP Ahead initiative and advancing female talent in the industry.”

Download photo on right, suggested caption:  Two BASF manufacturing employees, Nicole McGlone-Santistevan (pictured left), BASF Vice President of Operations Industrial Petrochemical in Freeport, Texas, and Christen Campbell (pictured right), BASF Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist in Geismar, Louisiana, were recognized with STEP Ahead Awards by The Manufacturing Institute during a recent ceremony in Washington D.C. Heidi Aldermann (pictured middle), BASF Senior Vice President of Petrochemicals North America, was also named STEP Ahead Chairwoman for 2016-2017.

Download photo on right, suggested caption: Nicole McGlone-Santistevan, BASF Vice President of Operations Industrial Petrochemicals in Freeport, Texas, received a STEP Ahead award from The Manufacturing Institute in Washington D.C. during an event which honored 130 women nationally for their achievements in manufacturing.

Download photo on right, suggested caption: Christen Campbell, BASF Environmental Health and Safety Specialist in Geismar, Louisiana, received a STEP Ahead award from The Manufacturing Institute in Washington D.C. during an event which honored 130 women nationally for their achievements in manufacturing.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.4 billion in 2015. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.
 
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com.

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