For International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), we highlight two women within the Ergon family of companies who have turned their passion for STEM into impactful careers at Crafco Inc.

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Crafco Inc., an Ergon company, is the world’s leading manufacturer of packaged pavement preservation products that seal, protect, repair, strengthen, preserve and extend the service life of infrastructure worldwide. Two of Ergon’s many women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Monica Maschue and Melinda Baier have used their skill sets in these areas to help maintain the quality of Crafco’s products. Read about them and their views on women pursuing careers in STEM below.

Melinda Baier
Baier is Crafco’s Materials Quality Assurance Manager. In this role, Baier is responsible for employing scientific methods and information to critique, interpret, construct and connect physical systems in order to ensure Total Quality Management (TQM) for materials produced at Crafco’s specialty sealant plants. TQM involves quality control, quality assurance, product testing and other measures to ensure the highest quality products and customer satisfaction.

Baier has always been passionate about the sciences, finding genetics and physics most appealing. With a desire to be a horse vet since childhood, she earned an Animal Sciences – Pre-Veterinarian degree from Auburn University. That is, until her aspirations shifted and led her to a career in research and formulations at Abbott Laboratories. “With my degree, I had extensive education in chemistry and microbiology, which I was able to take advantage of during my time with Abbott.”

In addition to her background in science, Baier also attended Better Process Control School at Michigan State University, and she earned Project Management and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certifications from Arizona State University. She is now able to apply her extensive education in her current role to ensure efficient, quality production at Crafco facilities.

When asked why women should pursue careers in science and STEM in general, she commented: “When women pursue careers in STEM, we are helping to diversify companies and close the gender gap in these careers. Sometimes you have to be the only girl or woman in the room, and that’s OK. Don’t be afraid to bring your own chair to the table.”

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Monica Maschue
Monica Maschue is Crafco’s Specialty Products Engineer (SPE) responsible for the company’s asphalt roofing and waterproofing products. Specifically, she helps evaluate formulations, monitor raw materials, track product quality, and oversee production adjustments and resolve quality issues as needed.

Maschue has always been interested in math and science and wanted to pursue an analytical career. “I was drawn to engineering as a college major because of my interests in math and science and the vast opportunities an engineering degree would provide.”  Maschue earned her degree in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. She joined Crafco in 2014 and has been able to apply her STEM interests and her knack for numbers, as she calls it, to a rewarding career with a significant role in quality control and, ultimately, the customer satisfaction journey.

On why it is important for women to pursue STEM careers and why companies should create opportunities to embrace anyone with STEM interests, Maschue said: “Diversity in your workforce can create a greater diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences within industries, ultimately leading to more unique solutions. Creating welcoming environments that allow everyone with strong interest and aptitude in STEM the opportunity to pursue those goals, regardless of gender, is a net positive for everyone.”

Read about other women in STEM at Ergon HERE.

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If you’re interested in working for a company that allows you to pursue your interests and make a difference, visit ergon.com/careers.