Over 160 Messer women across our regions gathered for a Messer Women In Construction (MWIC) reception and summit to connect with peers, hear from female leaders within Messer and in the community, and get inspired! The event was filled with practical learnings and tangible takeaways, featuring sessions on work-life balance, self-defense, personal finances, mental health and more.

Attendees first gathered for a reception that included a brief presentation, connecting and networking with peers, and tabletop discussions focused on Messer ESOP and other benefits as well as outside organizations including the Society of Women Engineers, American Heart Association and NAWIC. And some lucky attendees won raffle prizes! 

The next day at the summit, the day began with a Women in Power panel including Cynthia Booth, president and CEO of Emerge Manufacturing; Stephanie Gaither, executive vice president and COO at Al. Neyer; Michele O’Rourke, CEO at O’Rourke Wrecking Company; and Liza Smitherman, chief people officer at Jostin Construction.

The day continued with four presentations from Lori Tingle Coaching, 1N5’s Sara Utecht, Thrive Empowerment Center’s Lindsey Falcon and Lauren Bailey, and Game Time Budgeting’s Al Riddick. 

The summit concluded with a roundtable Q&A with Messer women Senior Managers and Company Foremen. 

Sonya Walton, vice president of Economic Inclusion, explained that the goal of the summit was simple: to engage and inspire Messer women.

“Our objective of the event was to create a platform that would engage and inspire the women at Messer. So, we created a day that was filled with wisdom, engagement, personal reflection, tangible takeaways, and practical learning that can be applied to our professional goals and careers as well as our personal lives,” Walton said.