Emerging Leaders Know Collaboration is Key

It is refreshing to hear uplifting stories about young talent in the precision machined parts industry who are striving to make a difference within their organizations.

We call them our “Emerging Leaders.” Their eagerness and fast-learning, think-outside-the-box mentalities have shined through to their managers, co-workers and industry partners. They are selfless individuals, under the age of 40, who face — and even welcome — challenges head-on. Many have transformed the companies at which they are employed, making these businesses more competitive, efficient, organized and overall better places to work.

Those in this year’s group of Emerging Leaders come from different backgrounds and found his or her way into manufacturing in a different way. But in interviewing all five, one theme stood out to me. That is, they all understand that collaboration, communication and team building are imperative to establish a healthy business culture.

In what follows, it’s easy to see why their nominators chose to promote them for the Emerging Leaders program. Our hope is that these stories inspire other individuals within the industry to do more than what is asked of them and to be innovative, creative and enthusiastic team members, just as these Emerging Leaders have become.

Learn more in the following snippets from my conversations with them.

Nushrat ‘Nush’ Ahmed

Jeremiah Llewellyn, marketing development specialist for Horn USA, nominated Nush Ahmed who is quality inspector at Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) in Statesville, North Carolina (part of the Addman Group). Llewellyn says Ahmed has taken it upon herself to lead the charge in inspiring young women to enter the trades, demonstrating an unwavering passion for the manufacturing industry and STEM education. “Nush isn’t just promoting manufacturing, she is actively shaping its future by fostering a more inclusive and supportive industry,” he notes. For example, she hosts two podcasts, Next Gen MFG and the Sisterhood Takes the Mic. Ahmed is also co-founder of the Sisterhood of Trades group for tradeswomen worldwide to connect on Discord and to teach more women about the trades.

“In terms of a manufacturing career, I just kind of found it,” Ahmed says. “I did not know a thing about manufacturing, other than watching ‘How it’s Made’ starting when I was 11.”

Turns out, her love of binge-watching that show and has come full-circle in terms of her role in helping manufacture precision parts.

Ahmed, who has long had an interest in high-performance cars and racing, received an associate’s degree in automotive mechanics technology from the NASCAR Technical Institute. But she embarked on a complementary yet more enticing career path by way of CNC machining, including being trained to operate Swiss-type lathes at a previous employer.

Now at Addman’s KAM division, she performs inspections on 3D-printed and machined parts using various measurement tools, including optical comparators, calipers, micrometers, thread gauges and so on.

And only a handful of years into her manufacturing career, Ahmed has created or helped create various channels to attract more people to the manufacturing and skilled trades industries, something that has become a passion of hers.

For instance, she launched the Next Gen MFG podcast which is dedicated to shining a light on the next generation of leaders in the skilled trades by exploring the journeys of people across industries such as manufacturing, welding, automotive, carpentry and other hands-on professions. As she explains, the podcast serves as a platform for individuals who are shaping the future, often choosing paths outside of traditional college routes to build fulfilling and impactful careers.

“Each episode dives into guests’ stories, challenges and achievements,” she says. “I cover topics ranging from career development, navigating industry changes, the benefits of pursuing a career in the trades and leadership within these professions.”

Most recently, she and three other women in manufacturing launched Sisterhood of Trades, said to be the largest interactive group chat for tradeswomen by tradeswomen.

Ahmed explains that this Discord group chat covers a variety of topics. There’s a general chat room to talk about everything from work wear to unions to apprentices. But there’s also specific chat rooms for welders, plumbers, masons, roofers, mill rights, machinists and so on. There’s also a community tab that has chat rooms for moms in the trades, because their struggles are different than others.

“I urge the girls to not only connect on a trades level, but on a personal level to get to know each other,” Ahmed says. “We’re each other’s sisters, and it’s important to highlight that and connect with each other.”

Amanda Florenca

Diane Ferrera, director of human resources for AccuRounds in Avon, Massachusetts, says Amanda Florenca, who began working with the company as an inside account representative in 2014, quickly proved herself to provide superior customer service to one of its most challenging customers. But that’s just one reason why Ferrara nominated her to be one of this year’s Emerging Leaders.

Florenca’s responsibilities soon expanded to include internal auditing and social media management responsibilities. Then, in 2021, she stepped up to become the company’s first AccuRounds Lifelong Learning University (ALLU) training coordinator, overseeing the coordination of AccuRounds’ employee development activities, assisting in the onboarding process by focusing on the company’s quality management system, work instructions, standards for lean manufacturing, 5S workplace organization and continuous improvement initiatives. Ferrara says she also seamlessly took over the role of quality management representative from a 40-year quality assurance veteran.

Florenca’s path to a successful manufacturing career started when a high school guidance counselor helped her earn a paid externship at a local children's outerwear manufacturing company. She began as an administrative assistant, but in a few months was offered a customer service position. By the time Florenca graduated, she was a production coordinator’s assistant. In that position, she could see how an idea turns into a design, how raw materials were sourced, the teamwork involved in creating a finished product…all the steps from planning to production to logistics.

Being a precision machining and manufacturing company, AccuRounds represented an unfamiliar industry. But Florenca felt the skills she had developed in previous roles were transferable. And when she interviewed at AccuRounds and toured its facility, she felt positive energy and sensed a culture that aligned with her values and belief system. (The company’s guiding principles are summed up with “GET IT” — gratitude, excellence, team first, initiative and trust.)

She enjoyed helping with company community service initiatives. For example, talking with youth about different career pathways, whether it be a vocational school or traditional school. This resonated with her given she was able to embark on a technical career without attending a vocational school.

In terms of her quality management role, one important project Florenca led was simplifying a complex certification system relative to the company’s ISO documentation, procedures and policies. She says no core processes needed to be changed, but she facilitated a team which was put in place to ask questions such as what do we need? What don’t we need? What are opportunities for improvement?

Florenca says manufacturing has always been more than just a job. For her, it’s been about her path of growth, from high school on, learning and connecting with people, encouraging curiosity, supporting exploration and reminding people that it’s okay not to have it all figured out. She’s just as passionate about it today as when she started.

Aaron Kennedy

According to Nik Paukkunen, director of Mahler Machining in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Aaron Kennedy, has driven tremendous value at Mahler Machining as company director and production manager, especially across these key areas: culture, leadership, process improvement and data-driven decision making.

Paukkunen, who nominated Kennedy, says one of his favorite initiatives Kennedy led was defining the core values of the business. He did this by conducting a company-wide survey, ensuring that every team member had the opportunity to share their input on what it truly means to be part of the Mahler team. He then organized a successful offsite event with the leadership team to discuss and refine these insights, ultimately shaping the core values that define the company. These core values, which have become a central part of the culture, are now prominently displayed throughout the operation.

Kennedy explains that he sort of fell into this manufacturing career a bit as his passion in applying his business degree had been building businesses and working in business operations. But this eventually led him to manufacturing when he became co-owner of Mahler Machining with Paukkunen in 2022.

Kennedy says he and Paukkunen spent the first year learning the business and its customers, and listening to the employees. And while nothing about the company was “broken,” it lacked a culture of continuous improvement.

That’s why Kennedy worked to establish a process for employees to physically or digitally submit tickets with improvement ideas. These could answer various questions. What’s the root cause of why we have this problem that you’re trying to solve and what’s your approximation of cost? What is it we’re trying to solve with this initiative? Is it improved quality? Is it to make ourselves more efficient? Is it to address a safety concern? Kennedy says these are discussed in company-wide monthly meetings, rewarding the employee who suggests the best idea each month. The key is being willing to invest in these ideas, which wasn’t always the case with previous company ownership.

Paukkunen notes that in just six months, the continuous improvement team Kennedy spearheaded implemented more 50 impactful shopfloor ideas ranging from simple enhancements such as labeling sandblaster media to complex organizational projects such as streamlining tooling for 20 CNC machines across the company’s 20,000-square-foot facility. “What makes this initiative particularly powerful is its inclusivity,” Paukkunen says. “Ideas flow from every member of the team, fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration.”

According to Paukkunen, Kennedy also is a staunch advocate for using data to drive decisions, a philosophy he has embedded deeply into the business. He has implemented systems for accurate time tracking, enabling the team to identify which jobs are profitable and which are not. Additionally, he introduced a tagging system to streamline the management of tooling and critical equipment. When faced with challenges beyond his expertise such as threadmilling or part probing, he doesn’t hesitate to bring in external vendors for fresh perspectives and innovative solutions.

“His commitment to leveraging data and external expertise ensures Mahler is consistently positioned for growth and success,” Paukkunen says.

Ben Lawrence

Adria Bagshaw is vice president of W.H. Bagshaw Co., a 155-year-old manufacturer which just moved into a new facility in Hudson, New Hampshire. It remains the oldest pin maker in America while offering precision Swiss-style CNC turned parts. This year, she nominated the company’s quality manager, Ben Lawrence, as an Emerging Leader.

Bagshaw notes Lawrence was brought on board in June 2024 to be a quality technician. “Recognizing his expertise, we quickly hired him as our quality manager,” she explains. “With nearly a decade of experience in the aerospace industry, Ben brought an important perspective and immediately built strong relationships across departments. While his role focuses on quality, his leadership extends beyond that — he consistently prioritizes safety, productivity and company culture.”

Bagshaw says one of Lawrence’s most impactful contributions has been implementing layered process audits using an innovative, cost-effective approach. Instead of purchasing expensive software, he leveraged a free safety app to streamline audits, improving both efficiency and compliance.

She says he also leads through action, actively monitoring and supporting the manufacturing team and ensuring that quality expectations are met while fostering a culture of collaboration and respect. “His leadership isn’t just about reducing defects and returns,” Bagshaw says. “Ben ensures that high standards are upheld in a way that aligns with our core values.”

Like other 2025 Emerging Leaders, Lawrence says he just kind of fell into a manufacturing career without necessarily seeking it out. Twelve years ago, he was working second shift in a warehouse for 12 to 14 hours each night. There was no fun in that, and he was frequently getting injured. And at the time he was newly married with a newborn, so he felt it was time for a change.

Lawrence applied for a material handler position at a large aerospace company, but during the interview, the hiring manager felt that he would be a better fit in her quality department. He ultimately worked for a couple large bearing manufacturers in roles such as traceability supervisor and source inspector before joining W.H. Bagshaw.

Lawrence joined the company when it was still located in nearby Nashua. The facility didn’t have a quality room at the time, but there were plans to build one on the shop floor. Not only would that provide a designated room for inspection equipment, but it would enable him to be closer to company machinists to improve and streamline communication between production and quality personnel.

The new location now has a dedicated inspection room on the shop floor. And during initial facility walkthroughs, Lawrence pushed for the quality room to be on the shop floor instead of in the office area. This facilitates daily communication and the ability to grow those relationships with the machinists while being available to support them when needed. It also enables Lawrence to keep all the gaging in one spot so they are signed out correctly and can be tracked.

One big initiative Lawrence has helped spearhead is a push to go paperless, especially relative to material and process certifications, which is a process he helped establish in the traceability department at a former employer. He notes that the quality department is fully operational with a program called SmartCert that makes the entire process electronic. Now, vendor certifications are sent electronically, they’re checked for conformance with an optical character recognition program that is then compared to specification, and this can all be done in a few seconds.

Michael Mulroy

The Nuclear Operations Group of BWX Technologies (BWXT) in Euclid, Ohio, supports the U.S. Navy by manufacturing precision components for nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. Grant Honroth, deputy general manager, says former quality manager and now deputy general manager, Michael Mulroy, demonstrates strategic thinking that aligns the company’s efforts with the Navy’s mission-critical needs. Mulroy not only anticipates future developments within the industry but also actively seeks opportunities for innovation that can enhance the efficiency and reliability of BWXT’s systems, Honroth says.

According to Honroth, Mulroy has spearheaded several key initiatives at BWXT that have significantly enhanced operational efficiency and team performance. One was the implementation of digital layered process audits (LPAs), which have streamlined workflows and identified critical areas for improvement. This is similar to a project he was involved in with his previous employer, Eaton.

As Mulroy explains, this involves shopfloor audits that might be only five to 10 questions and get many different auditors involved. Currently, approximately 180 people are auditing just the Euclid site. Audits range from quality processes, such as calibration, serial number verification and traceability to safety, oversight and facilities. The company currently performs approximately 400 audits each month.

Honroth says that by recognizing the power of data, Mulroy has also driven the use of data analytics through Power BI, a business intelligence and data visualization tool from Microsoft. This empowers team members to extract valuable insights for informed decision-making and process optimization. Another improvement effort Mulroy identified was the need to improve succession planning in the middle-manager ranks. As a result, he created a new reporting structure with lead engineers to develop future talent within the organization. Since this change, multiple departments have followed his lead, Honroth says.

Complementing these initiatives, Mulroy has dedicated time to mentoring newer managers, providing them with the guidance and support necessary for their professional development and ensuring a strong leadership pipeline within the organization, Honroth says.

In terms of being a leader outside of BWXT, Mulroy also serves as a member on the board at Alliance for Working Together (AWT), a non-profit with a mission to promote the development of rewarding careers in manufacturing for the long-term success and growth of the manufacturing community.

AWT is based on Northeast Ohio. Mulroy says member manufacturing companies might be suppliers of each other or even competitors in a sense. But the goal is to build awareness around careers in manufacturing be that relative to engineering or machining.

More to Emerge

The snippets above were based on extended conversations I had with each of this year’s Emerging Leaders. What I learned about some of the initiatives they’ve launched could make for longer, more detailed articles in the future. So, hopefully something that was mentioned above resonated with you and you can learn more as I take deeper dives some time down the line.