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Two in Twenty-two

When approached in April by Leslie Taito, Taco, about the possibility of the new Rising Star Award, our initial thoughts were, how are we going to pull this off? But we were pleasantly surprised. The resumes received were amazing. We knew we had outstanding members with diverse talents, but our two winners are truly stars.

Their accomplishments are outstanding and too many to mention so we put together the highlights.

Leslie Taito introducing the new Award

Our first winner is Jacqueline Aceituno, she is the Operations/Production Manager for Taco Comfort Solutions. She has been with the company 5-1/2 years. During that time, she has improved the efficiency of production from an average of 7 business days down to 2 days. She has led, motivated, and mentored employees to engage them in lean thinking to achieve production targets.

Jackie graduated with honors from Rhode Island College in 2013 with a BS in Operation Management and 2019 with a Masters in Operations & Project Management.

She is a dedicated mother of a teenage girl who is highly involved in her life at school. She volunteers to coach youth sports, passionate about the humane treatment of pets, and adopted a rescue dog.

Cheryl Merchant, CEO of Taco recommended Jacqueline for this award. She shared that Jackie approaches her job with a passion for excellence, dedication, and contribution. She consistently demonstrates an incredible thirst for learning, has a relentless approach to problem-solving, and is unafraid to put herself in challenging situations. She leads countless projects and delivers impactful solutions involving supply chain and sales issues that have been invaluable to the organization and highly respected by her supervisor, peers and customers.

Cheryl added, “Jackie is highly cognizant to the significant role women have in this industry. A recent retreat to a Women in Industry event gave her tremendous confidence in knowing she can be a significant contributor and leader in the HVAC industry currently dominated by men”.

Our second winner is Meredith Smith, she was hired as an Engineer by Renewable Energy Resources, Des Moines, Iowa. Today she manages the Project for Excellence. and she serves as the co-leader of the Women’s Resource Group with the goal of ensuring a high level of inclusion is felt by women across the organization.

She founded the Tiger Lily STEM, West Des Moines in 2017. The company grew to an organization of 22 employees. Their mission is to empower young women through STEM tutoring classes, mentoring and leadership development. She taught over 1500 students via classes, camps, and events. She helped build partnerships with six metro school districts, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, and other organizations to offer STEM programming and expertise.

Meredith volunteered her time to provide ACT prep classes and after school STEM programming to underserved youth. Her programs were featured in multiple publications.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Iowa State with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 2010.

Meredith was nominated by Donna Gilligan of REG. Donna states that Meredith has been instrumental in leading the feasibility and design aspects of a multi-million-dollar plant expansion project and a corporate strategy project for de-carbonization across transportation sectors. Just recently the CEO asked her to provide leadership for standardizing the capital project management processes. Donna validates why Meredith is a Rising Star in the energy industry because she achieves impressive results through great relationships and believes we will continue to see her excel in the energy industry through her engineering expertise and leadership.

Congratulations to the Rising Stars of 2022.

Industry-wide program will deliver valuable human resources tools for liquid heating fuel business managers

The National Energy & Fuels Institute (NEFI) and Women in Energy announce a joint educational platform to provide harassment awareness training and other important human resources tools for liquid heating fuel businesses.

This Management Training Program is being developed by Laurie LaBrie’s Integrated Human Resources, Inc. It will be operated in coordination with NEFI and Women in Energy to ensure it addresses the specific needs of Main Street America’s liquid heating fuel delivery and service businesses. Training topics may include gender equality, sexual harassment prevention, employee recruitment and retention, pay equity, the economic impacts of a diverse workforce, state and federally mandated workplace compliance, and related human resource management issues.

“We identified the need for gender equity training after hearing the stories of women in our industry who had been subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace,” said Women in Energy Executive Director Judy Garber. “NEFI graciously volunteered to help and we welcome their ongoing support as this program should be of immense value to all men and women in the liquid heating fuel industry.”

“Frankly, harassment in any form, whether intentional or unintentional, is totally unacceptable in today’s marketplace and given the fact that our industry was literally built by family businesses, we want to set the bar high and serve as an example to others,” said NEFI Chair Ed Scott. “We look forward to working with Women in Energy to build a program that will raise the level of awareness regarding this important issue.”

The liquid heating fuel Harassment Awareness Training Program is slated to launch in March 2022. In the meantime, NEFI and Women in Energy invite all industry associations to join them in promoting gender equity through education and allyship. Additional information on this new program and how you can help will be available soon.

Founded in 2017, the national association of Women in Energy offers tools to members — women, men and non-binary — who wish to further their professional development in the energy industry. The association has worked closely with NEFI, as many professionals are members, trustees or officers of both organizations. Recently, Women in Energy presented a series of business education sessions at NEFI’s 2021 HEAT Show and helped support its 2021 Legends of Oilheat Awards, which honored the industry’s leading women. For more information, visit the Women in Energy and NEFI websites.

This amendment gave women the right to vote. We wanted to recognize this occasion in a special way. We recognized all women who have contributed to the Energy Industry. Enjoy our special video that highlight just a few of the many women – some you will be surprised to learn about, others have gone before us that you will remember and we have other women that are still actively involved in the industry each and every day.

Special thanks to a few of our members for helping to put this together – Katy Payne, Energy Kinetics and Nicole Crouthamel, I.T. Landis Company and thanks to Vicki Sanches, HOP who was our MC. And most of all, we want to thank the women that are featured in this video and ALL the ladies that work in the Energy Industry.

Special thanks to our sponsors too!

VIEW THE VIDEO

2020 is the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. Women in Energy would like to celebrate this momentous occasion by recognizing women that have contributed to the energy industry over the past 100 years. These could be women that contributed in the way of designing a new product, building a company along with their partner, taking over the business from their spouse or parent because of a major event such as war, illness or passing.

If you have a story to share with us, please send it to jgarber@wewomeninenergy.com.

The mission of Women in Energy is to connect and empower women working in the energy industry. We do this by providing career resources, creating networking and mentoring opportunities, promoting educational courses, and developing strategies to minimize obstacles women may face in the industry.

This piece was published in the Empire State Publication and the article was written by one of our members, Erin Holohan-Haskell. This is just one example of the talents our members have and are willing to share.

“When I was a little girl, I wanted to be just like my dad. I loved being in the shop and learning how things worked,” says Bobbi Jean Hill of W.B. Hill Inc. She is now a proud member of the next generation of the company her family founded in 1910. W.B. Hill specializes in tank truck and trailer fabrication and repairs. One of her favorite projects was working with her dad on a “gas station on wheels” to provide assistance during natural disasters.

In an industry that has been predominantly male, Hill and many women like her have been making their mark. She notes, “When I was younger, there were rarely women at trade shows. And if they were there, they were models or cheerleaders hired to stand in booths…but it’s not that way anymore. I think the industry is changing for the better, especially for women.”

Part of that change is being spurred by Women in Energy, a new association that provides career resources, as well as networking and mentoring opportunities. “Our mission is to connect and empower women working in the energy industry,” says Judy Garber, Executive Director of Women in Energy. “We also educate younger generations about career opportunities available within our industry.”

Garber, who has spent decades in the energy industry, reflects on her career path, “When I was growing up, women had three career choices: nurse, teacher, or secretary. And none of those choices appealed to me. Today you can do whatever you want to do as a woman. And young women should take advantage of those choices because prior generations of women have paved the way for them.”

“I think women have always been behind the scenes,” says Roberta Fagan, Executive Director of the Oil Heat Institute of RI, and President of Women in Energy. “A lot of our businesses are multi-generational, family businesses and I think women have been there all along. But in today’s changing and evolving energy sector, women are coming to the forefront and saying, ‘We have the skills to help our companies diversify and stay relevant.’”

Garber, Marjorie Feinman (Associate Director of Fuel Merchants Association of NJ), and fellow industry leaders founded Women in Energy in 2017 to help other professionals and strengthen our industry. “It’s been wonderful working with this group of very talented, bright women,” says Garber.

The association has grown rapidly and had record attendance at its annual conference in May 2019 in Hershey, PA. The event featured an empowering two-day program filled with education and networking. Women in Energy emphasizes education and mentorship; and members have benefited by learning from one another and sharing their knowledge.

“It seems to be a theme that women encourage each other, especially in this industry,” says Liz Hill of Primedia, Inc.

Women in Energy launched their Mentorship Award this year and invited three students to attend the conference, meet members, and learn more about the career paths that are available to them. Members of Women in Energy include women and men working in various areas of the energy industry, including HVAC companies, manufacturing, fuel dealers, fuel truck and equipment sales, insurance agencies, media organizations, technology firms, and more.

When asked about their work history, many women have noted that they did not initially plan on joining the energy industry, but are pleased that their career paths brought them here. Others are embracing their roles as the next generation to lead a family business.

Allison Heaney became President of Skaggs-Walsh, a heating-oil provider, in 1994 when her father Peter passed away. She was just 24 years old at the time, but she weathered the storm and took charge. “It is a hard industry, but it is a very rewarding industry,” Heaney says.

Women in our industry have faced adversity, but Women in Energy is providing them with valuable career tools and support.

“This industry is very welcoming,” says Marci Gagnon of Qualpay. “For every one person that I’ve had a challenge with, there have been 50-60 people that have offered insight or have just been really supportive. So while this industry may seem very male dominant, it’s actually here for everyone. And it’s amazing to see that companies are not only being passed down to men, but women are also starting to take over their family-owned businesses. And so, there’s more opportunity for women in this space. And there are a lot of great folks who are helping to empower them in the industry.”

Tina Starner, an environmental compliance specialist, adds, “There are opportunities to prove yourself and to prove that women do belong in this industry, as in any industry. We’ve got what it takes to grab the baton and run with it.”

Author Bio

Erin Holohan Haskell is President of HeatingHelp.com, a vibrant online community and trusted resource for heating information. She is also a founding member and Vice President of Women in Energy.