As part of International Women’s Day (learn more), Stanadyne is recognizing two members of our female workforce that drive our company’s success every day. Heather Wenzel and Florence Gauvain are great examples of individuals helping our company create exceptional customer experience and best-in class quality, reliability, delivery, and service. Leaders like Florence and Heather bind our company together through integrity, mutual respect, honesty, and transparency.
Heather is the Plant Controller at Stanadyne’s Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States operations. Her job role involves the control and oversight of all the plant’s financial activities. Florence is a Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineer at our Castenedolo, Brescia, Italy location. She leads the Quality Team and is the quality expert for all plant activities.
Here are their answers to a few questions regarding career paths as leaders in the automotive and manufacturing industries.
Q. What is your proudest career achievement?
Heather: For me, it’s always about the customer. I was able to develop a team that is customer centric. By empowering and enabling the team, we could develop tools that drive company performance.
Florence: Serenity in my work. Well, serenity is an elusive state of mind for a Quality Manager, but sometimes I feel it. I believe that reaching serenity in what you do is an achievement.
Q. What is your proudest personal achievement?
Florence: Being a mother of three daughters, in this case, serenity is far away, but pride is always present.
Heather: My husband was a Marine (retired now). For a long time, we moved every three years for his career. I have reinvented myself with every move. Along the way, I have demonstrated my capabilities, advanced my career, put myself through college, and am raising a family. I have worked hard to get where I am today, overcoming obstacles and pushing the limits. I can honestly say that I love what I do.
Q. What led you to explore a career path with an automotive / manufacturing company?
Heather: I have always loved the manufacturing industry. I can remember watching the show “How It’s Made” and being so interested in the details of how machines worked and the process flow to produce a finished product. Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work for a manufacturing company in the aerospace industry and the rest is history! I’ve been in manufacturing ever since.
Florence: My first job was at Eurocopter in Marseilles (France) as young aeronautical engineer. The facility employed 3,000 engineers and the project I was working on had a 20-year timeline. It was a great experience, but I felt like a little ant. Therefore, I started flying as a hobby and chose an industry with smaller – but still challenging – projects, so I can see the whole picture.
Q. What words of advice, guidance, or inspiration would you share with women exploring their career options and opportunities?
Florence: Be honest with yourself. Understand your capacities; your priorities; what you really want; what you are willing to give up achieving it; and, what will you never sacrifice. And when you have reached your goal, be honest with yourself by asking “is this really what I want?”
Heather: Have confidence, work hard, and never give up. You can achieve anything you put your mind to. Stanadyne believes innovative solutions are best derived from a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative working environment. In alignment with the mission of International Women’s Day, we support and inclusive work culture where women’s careers thrive and achievements are celebrated.
If you are interested in exploring an automotive, manufacturing, or engineering career with Stanadyne, please email hr@s5c.72e.mywebsitetransfer.com.
