C.H. Guenther Women’s History Month Spotlight
Leslie Grubbs
Senior Representative, Customer Service
Question 1 What does it mean to you to be a woman in manufacturing today?
As I walk into stores or restaurants and see CHG products, it makes me proud to be a woman in manufacturing. It fulfills purpose. Being a woman and manufacturing go together. We’ve been producing, managing systems and making things work since the beginni ng of time. So, to me it just makes sense for me to be in this field.
Question 2 Share with us your BEST memory in manufacturing.
My best memory is the first time I toured PFM. It was like watching an episode of “How it’s Made”. I was excited to be there. I felt like a first grader on their first field trip to the zoo.
Watching the system from beginning to end is amazing. To see the detail in which these machines operate is fascinating. Do you realize the machine knows exactly when and where to put that little slit for easy opening on the gravy packets? That one little thing so impressed me. In addition to the machines, the people were friendly. It was encouraging to see the camaraderie and teamwork that exists.
Question 3
What is your greatest hope for women in manufacturing for the future?
My greatest hope for women in manufacturing is to see them at every level of the business. female friends/family to work in manufacturing sector?
Yes, I would. Working in this field uses all my skills sets. It is very rewarding on a daily basis to problem solve and to indirectly make people happy. I get to see the result of my work every time I go into a store or restaurant. Food makes people happy. And we get to make people happy.
Question 5 Share challenges you faced and how you overcame them during your tenure with the company.
There are always challenges when you start with a new company. As a community developer, I am always looking for ways for us to operate as a community. The biggest challenge within CHG is organizational structure and culture. When I walk around CHG it is like walking around a small town. I t can be very divided by department and function. The challenge is finding ways for us to work towards a shared vision without the invisible lines that separate us. To see each other as people and not as objects that we use as obstacles, vehicles or treat like they are irrelevant. When we know each other as people regardless of whether we like each other or not, when conflict arises we think about the goal and move past our differences to accomplish great things. That is why I enjoy DE&I the United Way Campaign and all the activities CHG has around these programs/initiatives. They build community through conversation and interaction so that we are able to move towards a common goal together.
