Celebrating Women’s History Month in Manufacturing

When Sofi Clark graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in engineering, she was one of the only women in her classes. “It was definitely uneven,” she said. “There were less than 20% female students.”

As the Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations for Medline Industries in Neptune, N.J., Clark supervises 300 people who make flush syringes, a crucial medical supply, for the nation’s largest manufacturer and distributor of medical and surgical supplies to healthcare providers such as hospitals, nursing homes, and physician offices. “When someone with an IV is being given medication, flush syringes are used to ensure the medication reaches the patient,” she explained.

At a young age, Clark was fascinated by the way things work, and her curiosity led her to pursue manufacturing as a career. “That mindset is important in manufacturing. I like the problem-solving aspect of it. How do you get all the pieces to fit together and produce things effectively in a safe way?” She added that, “We always try to find the opportunities for improvement to make our process better.”

Clark’s journey to become a leader in manufacturing involved hard work, but also guidance from a lot of different resources. “The women’s employee resource group at Medline is a great way to connect with other female leaders,” she said. “I’ve also been lucky to have a lot of great supervisors who mentored me along the way as well, and Medline also has a great mentorship program to connect employees with more experienced people to provide guidance.”

She said, “What I learned is you just need to have grit and not be afraid to make decisions.”

As companies around the nation celebrate Women’s History Month, Clark is thankful for the focus on celebrating the achievements women have made in the workplace, but looks forward to the day when such a celebration isn’t necessary. She reflected and said, “The fact that we still have to talk about it means we still have work to do. At Medline I’m treated no differently than anyone else. I feel like I’m treated just the same on my merits. That is refreshing.”

In 2023, Medline was again named to Forbes list of "America’s Best Employers for Women,” ranking among the top one-third of 400 U.S. companies on factors including pay equity, parental-leave policies, leadership training programs for women, and representation of women in upper management.