United Scrap Metal executive earns Women in Manufacturing honor

The Manufacturing Institute has announced that Jodi Keller-Wheeler, vice president of Cicero, Illinois-based United Scrap Metal, has been awarded a 2016 Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award.

The STEP Ahead Awards are designed to “honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers representing all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite,” the institute says.

April 21, 2016, The Manufacturing Institute says it will recognize 130 recipients of the STEP Awards at a reception in Washington.

“I am incredibly honored to work for an aggressively growing woman-owned organization,” says Keller-Wheeler. “I am fortunate to have a career I am passionate about and [that] inspires me every day.”

As a member of the executive leadership team at United Scrap Metal, Keller-Wheeler has helped lead the company to double-digit growth in each of the past four years, according to a new release from The Manufacturing Institute.

A career in manufacturing for Keller-Wheeler was encouraged at a young age because of the influence of her sister, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, and her father, who has more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing.

“I need to be challenged, or I get bored easily,” she says. “Manufacturing requires constant innovation to stay competitive and the fast pace means I never have a dull moment. Every day I have the opportunity to make an impact inside the company and with our customers.”

The STEP Awards are part of a larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership for attracting, advancing and retaining strong female talent.

United Scrap Metal, founded in 1978 by its current CEO Marsha Serlin, purchases, processes and markets recyclable commodities, including nonferrous and ferrous metals, paper and plastic.