Robinson Fans to host She Builds event
In an effort to celebrate women in manufacturing, while also creating a welcoming environment for Butler County’s youth to join the industry, Robinson Fans, 400 Robinson Drive in Zelienople, is hosting its first ever She Builds event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 20.
Robinson Fans president Tricia Staible said the free event is open to men and women interested in joining the manufacturing industry, with a focus on celebrating the women who are already making a difference and setting the bar in the industry.
“Essentially Western Pennsylvania, in my opinion, has done so much initially to create industrialization for the world,” Staible said. “We are looking at a resurgence of manufacturing in Western PA, which is essential to the growth.”
The event will have a few separate aspects to it. The first hour of the event will include a career fair type atmosphere, with upward of 20 regional and Butler County manufacturers in attendance with tables set up to help showcase to the younger audience what they are all about.
Tours of the Zelienople-based Robinson Fans facility will also take place in the first hour of the event. Later, speakers ranging from political figures, such as U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, to women leaders within Robinson Fans who plan to address those in attendance and share their experiences.
The event is made possible through a collaboration with the Manufacturer & Business Association, which is based in Erie.
MBA president and CEO Lori Joint said Staible has been working on this event for “some time” and she is excited to see it all come together.
“We want women to know that this is a viable opportunity for them and that it's something they can thrive at and take to the next level,” Joint said.
According to the National Association of Manufacturers, there were about 3.77 million women working in the manufacturing industry in 2023, representing about 29% of the total workforce.
“A lot of the time, women in manufacturing feel so isolated,” Joint said. “It could be a production role, finance or engineering. Sometimes they just don't have the same networks to bring each other up. When Tricia first spoke with me about this idea, I thought it was the greatest idea.”
Joint plans to be one of the female speakers at the event, where she will talk about the importance of mentoring and how to properly network in the industry.
More tours of the facility will follow after the speakers wrap up.
“We have contacted a lot of the local high schools as well as trade schools, then the general public,” Staible said. “We are trying to not just hit high schools or college-age kids, but also women who have opted out of the workforce and are looking for something flexible to come back in. We have talked with workforce development groups to promote this.”
Also at the event will be the Careers in Welding Mobile Experience trailer, which is a hands-on, mobile exhibit run by the American Welding Society that travels to cities, exposing people to the welding trade, showcasing career paths and providing opportunities to use virtual welding simulators.
During the event, one student enrolled in a welding program will be able to compete for a $1,000 scholarship to support their training and future career in welding through a welding simulation.
Staible hopes to make the event an annual occasion and to expand upon it each year.
A worker shortage is being seen across the industry, Staible said, and Robinson Fans is no exception, which is another reason why she feels this event is important for not just the company, but manufacturing as a whole.
“If you look at our careers page for Robinson, almost every position has openings,” Staible said. “That's because we are driving a lot of growth. There is instability in the market right now and everyone is trying to figure out at what point all of this ramping up for energy and AI actually happens. We have started getting ready in advance.”
The “instability” Staible mentioned also refers to the tariffs seen across the manufacturing industry, which has forced the company to be more cautious when it comes to expanding.
“That makes it hard to catch momentum,” Staible said. “I would love to get to a point where we know more of what to expect more than a week out. I know others are feeling this too.”
Robinson Fans has about 300 employees, with about 50 of them being women. Those women who are entering the industry are met with a few social barriers Staible said.
“I think the first barrier is just there is no one who looks like you in the room,” Staible said. “That is always tough. In our Pennsylvania facility we tried to target female welders. If we only had one it was tough. They would come and try and just get tired of being the only female. Once you get more than one and some momentum that helps.”
Joint said careers in manufacturing provide a chance to be creative while also being part of a company that might be making an impact all around the world with the products they produce.
“It's an exciting opportunity and I think everybody should at least consider it,” Joint said.
More information about the event can be found at www.robinsonfans.com/she-builds-2025.
