As materials supervisor, Stacey Chatman manages a staff of 27 men at Engineered Profiles LLC.

"I have 27 very diverse men," she said. "I have black men. I have white men, I have white men with degrees. I think the oldest guy I have is 62 and the youngest is 26. Imagine that!"

She likes the challenge: "Being able paint the same picture, the same goal, that's what I do every day."

Chatman, 55, started at TimberTech in 2009, back when the decking maker was part of Crane Group, the prior name of Engineered Profiles in Columbus, Ohio. Crane sold TimberTech in 2012. She transitioned to Engineered Profiles, where she now is the first female supervisor.

Before joining the custom extruder, she owned a commercial cleaning company in Columbus, handling schools and department stores. She got interested in TimberTech after a friend told her he worked a company that makes plastic lumber, then she got a job as an extrusion operator.

No time for cleaning now, even on the side. Chatman needs to be available 24/7.

But she's not complaining. As materials supervisor, Chatman oversees blending, grinding, pelletizing and material handling.

"I try to tell my guys we're the movers and shakers in the company," she said.

Asked about a mistake she has made in management, Chatman said she made the assumption early on that seniority is the major qualification for moving up to a leadership position.

"Because you've been here a long time does not make you a leader. Some people don't want to lead," she said, adding that when you get a position with responsibility, people have to trust you and respect you.

Click here to find more profiles on women in the plastics industry.

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