The steel industry has made great strides in the last decade to attract a more diverse workforce, particularly in recruiting and developing women in a traditionally male-dominated environment.
Leeco Steel, a long-time active member of multiple local chapters of the Association of Women in the Metals Industries (AWMI), prides itself on its talented team, where women play a vital role in the company's success and are leaders within their departments.
"Leeco makes great efforts to develop women throughout our organization, and our efforts have led to many women becoming leaders of their department or team," said Mary Latronica, Director of Human Resources.
Growing From Within
Many departments headed by women have managers and supervisors who came into their roles as a result of further training and professional development.
Jill Laumann grew into her role as Safety Manager over time. Starting in shipping and receiving on a small, newly formed team in Oshkosh, WI in 2006, Jill took on whatever responsibilities came her way, learning more about Leeco warehouse operations.
Business in Oshkosh grew, and so did the Oshkosh warehouse team. Jill was promoted to Plant Supervisor in 2013 and oversaw the entire operations of the facility, from training new team members to maintaining a safe working environment.
In 2021, Jill was named Safety Manager as part of Leeco's efforts to revitalize its safety program. Under Jill's leadership, safety communications have significantly improved, and these enhancements to Leeco's safety program helped the company win the Metal Service Center Institute's (MSCI) 2021 Safety Culture Improvement Award.
"My entire working career has focused on one aspect or another in manufacturing," Jill said. "Leeco's supportive, family-like atmosphere gave me the opportunity to learn more about warehouse operations, become a leader within my field and design programs to keep our people safe."
Being involved during periods of rapid growth and change also created growth opportunities for Mary Latronica, who joined Leeco in 2008 as a part-time Human Resources Manager. At the time, Leeco only had around 70 employees, and the Accounting Department handled all aspects of payroll.
Leeco Steel was experiencing rapid growth at the time, and human resources needed a leader to ensure the hiring process went smoothly. Mary stepped up to the challenge by moving into a full-time role, taking on payroll management, deploying recruitment strategies and developing a formal on-boarding process. In her role as Director of Human Resources, Mary leads all HR initiatives for over 200 employees.
"As the Leeco team expanded, human resources played a key role in recruiting and hiring new talent," said Mary. "As Human Resources Manager during this growth period, I was able to take on more responsibilities and grow as a department leader."
Many Leeco employees take continuing education or technical training to advance and grow into leadership roles. Such was the case for Jeanmarie Luedtke, who started as a temporary, part-time file clerk in 2010 and is now Leeco's Senior Credit Analyst. Shortly after joining Leeco part-time, Jeanmarie was promoted to a full-time role on the credit team in 2011.
With Leeco's full support and encouragement, Jeanmarie became a member of NACM Connect and took technical training courses to improve her knowledge and skills. Jeanmarie earned a Credit Business Associate and certifications in Commercial Bankruptcy Credit Special and Business Credit Principles in 2016 from the National Association of Credit Management. This technical training helped Jeanmarie grow as a leader, and she was later encouraged to earn her Credit Business Fellow designation, which she received in 2017.
Jeanmarie was also encouraged by Leeco to join industry-related organizations - such as AWMI and the Metals Service Center Institute - to learn more about the steel industry. She is now an active member of both organizations and was honored with the AWMI Chicago Chapter's Volunteer of the Year Award in 2014 and 2019.
"Leeco's encouragement to join professional organizations and take additional training courses helped me grow into a leadership role on the credit team and learn more about our industry," said Jeanmarie. "Leeco is truly a supportive, team-oriented environment."
Joining Leeco's Lisle, IL headquarters in 2020 as Sales Representative, Carly Strama threw herself into learning the steel business.
"I came to Leeco with a background in sales, but this was my first time working in the steel industry," said Carly. "There was a bit of a learning curve in terms of becoming familiar with various plate grades, as well as understanding the nuances of the business. But I like learning and I'm a 'relationship person', so I liked speaking with various customers and learning about their business and needs."
As Carly became more familiar with the industry and Leeco's services, she emerged as a rising sales team leader and was invited to attend a leadership seminar in 2022, hosted by O'Neal Industries, Leeco's parent company.
"The seminar allowed me to learn and network among peers," said Carly. "There were some valuable takeaways that helped me better understand the industry and business."
As Carly continued to build strong relationships with her customers, she noticed a latent need for processed plate parts. She challenged herself to better understand Leeco's processing services and identified customers who could benefit from these value-added services. Her efforts led to strong account growth, and she was promoted to Account Manager in 2024.
"Everyone I work with at Leeco - from my coworkers to my customers - helped me learn and succeed," said Carly. "I hope to be that support for others who come after me."
Hiring New Talent
While many women who head departments were developed into leaders, some were hired by Leeco to fill manager or supervisor roles. Attractive benefits and a supportive, caring work environment are crucial in attracting diverse talent, and Leeco Steel works hard to make sure the company is a place in which all its employees can grow as leaders.
"At Leeco, we strive to make sure our employees have the best benefits, accurate pay and resources available to have a great work-life balance," said Mary. "Each of these factors are important in recruiting and hiring women leaders who can develop and thrive within our company."
Some of Leeco's department managers or supervisors were recruited to fill a leadership role on a crucial team. Julie Mraz, recruited and hired as a Controller in 2014, was originally hired to oversee Accounts Payable and prepare monthly financial statements. However, as Leeco grew, Julie's role quickly grew to include more divisions and departments.
With the support and encouragement of her supervisor, Julie started overseeing the Billing and Certs Department in addition to Accounts Payable. Julie also stepped in to help Leeco's growing Trading division with their billing and accounting needs, and now oversees Leeco's Credit department.
"Before he retired, my boss encouraged me to grow as a leader in the Accounting Department," said Julie. He helped me transition into supervising Leeco's Certs, Billings and Credit teams and taking on more responsibilities within our trading division. I really appreciate how Leeco's leadership team challenges us all to be better."
Another woman hired to fill a leadership role in a key department was Amy Craychee, who joined the Leeco team as Marketing Manager in 2018. Amy plays an important role in creating, executing and evaluating strategies to grow Leeco's brand portfolio within the steel industry, improve customer experiences and strengthen internal communication.
With Leeco's brand and customer base growing across North America, Amy's role quickly evolved to include higher-level strategic projects related to technology. Amy led the implementation of a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, project managed the rebuilding of Leeco's website and implemented a new marketing automation software. Each of these technologies have enabled Leeco to better serve its customers as the organization grows.
Due to her success in growing the Leeco brand and leading strategic, high-level projects, Amy was promoted to Director of Marketing in 2020.
"I love that there are few barriers to the execution of a good idea here," said Amy. "No one is too important to listen to a new idea, and no one is too unimportant to have one. I am excited to implement ideas that will further improve how Leeco serves its customers in 2020 and beyond."
After Leeco's previous Chief Financial Officer announced his plans to retire in 2020, the company needed a strategic and innovative leader to ensure prosperity in the years to come. Enter Lisa Liarakos, who brought with her two decades of finance and accounting experience.
Lisa joined Leeco during an unprecedented period of market growth, which required her to hit the ground running. With the support of her direct team - comprised of the finance, human resources and IT departments - the sales department and executive leadership, she quickly learned the steel business and Leeco's internal processes. This support, paired with her adaptability, enabled Lisa to play a key role in guiding the company through a rapidly changing market.
"The Leeco team is truly like a family," said Lisa. "We pick each other up during hard times and cheer each other on during good times. Leeco embodies the "we can do anything" attitude and is willing to do whatever it takes."
A Team Driven by Women
Women span across multiple departments and teams at Leeco, but two teams are comprised entirely of women: Leeco's sales associate and project management teams. These women are vital in processing and monitoring orders, and their sales support keeps Leeco's sales team running efficiently. Many sales associates are also involved in their local AWMI chapters, where they regularly attend events and meetings.
Some of Leeco's sales associates have worked at the company for decades due to its family-like, supportive culture. The most senior member of the sales associate team, Sylvia Viezca, joined Leeco in 1986 and was with the company for 35 years. She retired in 2021 and is greatly missed due to the deep impact she left on the company and its culture.
When Sylvia started working at Leeco's small office on Chicago's West Side, she performed various administrative tasks - such as picking up mail from the post office - and created and filed order invoices. Sylvia managed Leeco's main phone line, assisted Leeco's Mexico sales team and was the de facto cheerleader for the entire Leeco team.
"Leeco is my home away from home," said Sylvia. "My coworkers are like my second family, and we are always there for each other."
Click here to read more about the amazing sales associate and project management teams.
Developing Leaders
Whether they joined Leeco decades ago or five years ago, each of these women play a crucial role in the company's growth and success. Without developing and supporting this group of leaders, Leeco would not be where it is today.
"Giving all employees the opportunity to grow into a leadership position is important," said Denton Nordhues, CEO and President. "Each and every member of the Leeco team plays an important role in the success of the company. Without our remarkable team, Leeco would not be where we are today."
