WomenInPlastics

n 2022 we brought Women in Plastics back with a bang from the hiatus of the pandemic. You wouldn’t be able to tell that we ever skipped a beat – Women in Plastics continues to be the most engaging and enriching program for women in the performance plastics industry.

Three in-person Women in Plastics workshops were held in 2022: an event on April 6, 2022, in Houston, TX, USA with a total of 48 attendees, a workshop in conjunction with the Leadership Development Conference in Charlotte, NC, USA with 84 attendees and lastly – but certainly not least, the Pittsburgh, PA, USA workshop with 69 attendees.

While visiting each of these cities, Women in Plastics had the privilege of positively impacting their local communities. In Houston, attendees packed 540 boxes of food, equaling 13,950 meals at the Houston Food Bank. The food bank supports underprivileged and senior families across the Houston area.

In Charlotte, the group supported Dress for Success, a charity that provides young women entering the workforce with clothing and accessories. Lastly, in Pittsburgh, attendees supported the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank by packing diaper and feminine hygiene products to be distributed across Pennsylvania. There, participants packaged more than 16,000 sets of products for underprivileged families.

Keynote and industry speakers covered a diverse mixture of career development topics, including effective teamwork behaviors, a modified DISC profile, personal brand elevation, presentation skills, as well as mentorship and retention. These high-energy presentations were filled with many tools to incorporate and apply in your current role. In addition, some speakers presented thought-inducing presentations that hit home with real-life situations. Even the thought-provoking icebreaker questions caused participants to dig deep to answer and share at their tables.

The Educational Sessions provide two networking opportunities where attendees can connect with industry professionals. Both the Welcome Reception and Speed Networking continue to be successful events with great reviews from participants. We are so excited and thrilled to see new and familiar faces at every Women in Plastics event.

We are looking forward to hosting three more in-person workshops and three online educational sessions in 2023.

As always, thank you to our sponsors! None of this is possible without your support. With that being said, we hope that you will consider sponsoring the IAPD Women in Plastics Committee as you see the value in our continued momentum. For information on sponsorship levels and how to contribute, please contact kcanty@iapd.org.