Dalton—The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, will recognize Amanda Edwards, vice president of enterprise excellence at Shaw, with a STEP Ahead Award at its annual awards ceremony in November.
The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry from the factory floor to the C-suite. Edwards was recognized for her commitment to STEM education, inspiring future female engineers and uplifting women throughout their manufacturing careers.
“Amanda embodies what it means to be a servant leader and lives Shaw’s mission to create a better future—both inside our company and out in the community,” explained David Morgan, executive vice president of operations for Shaw. “She’s paved the way for other women at Shaw, mentored young engineers and inspired future STEM leaders through her involvement with our local college. She’s also a customer-centric leader with a bias towards action and results and her attention to detail has saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars through process improvements and innovations. I cannot think of someone more deserving of this honor and congratulate her on such a notable achievement.”
Edwards was the first female operations leader of Shaw’s quality assurance, technical support, accredited lab and operational excellence teams. Her responsibilities in this role included traveling to China and restructuring a quality assurance program in Asia, where she hired and built leadership teams that aligned with company values. Currently, she drives compliance and risk mitigation in North America, Asia and throughout all Shaw facilities across the globe. Edwards is now the chair—and was the first female voting member—of Carpet and Rug Institute’s Strategic Issues Leadership Council, focusing on consumer marketing efforts and promoting the viability of soft surfaces in the flooring industry.
“I am both proud and humbled to receive this great honor,” Edwards said. “I have always loved knowing how things are made. In manufacturing, you get to work with real people making products that consumers need. As a leader in manufacturing, it is my job to ensure the time our associates spend away from their families making flooring is worth it. As a working mother, that is particularly meaningful to me.”
On Nov. 4, the Manufacturing Institute will recognize 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead Awards, including Shaw’s Edwards, at a gala in Washington, D.C. The STEP Ahead Awards program will highlight each honoree’s story, including her leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.