Manufacturing has always been an industry of resilience. It has weathered wars, recessions, and revolutions in technology. It has powered economies, created jobs, and built nations. But for all its strength, it has also been slow to change. Tradition, hierarchy, and legacy have defined its identity for generations. And more often than not, its leadership tables have looked the same—dominated by men, driven by numbers, focused on output.
But change is here, and it looks different from what we’ve been conditioned to expect. It isn’t loud. It isn’t disruptive for the sake of disruption. It’s steady, thoughtful, people-first—and it is being led by women who are redefining what it means to lead in manufacturing.
That’s why this edition, Women of the Year in Manufacturing 2025, is special. It’s not about celebrating women for simply existing in a male-dominated space. It’s about recognizing how they are reshaping the very DNA of the industry. It’s about spotlighting leaders who are proving that progress doesn’t always need to roar—sometimes, it’s built on quiet conviction, empathy, and the courage to make choices that may not please everyone, but serve the greater good.
Our cover story on Heather Bruce, President & CEO of Osmundson Mfg. Co., embodies this spirit. Manufacturing isn’t always kind to those who try to change it. But Heather has never been one to chase comfort. Taking over a fifth-generation company that carried more than 120 years of legacy, she faced challenges that would have broken many leaders. At one point, the weight of responsibility nearly cost her everything. Yet, she didn’t walk away.
Instead, Heather leaned in—with patience, clarity, and a deep sense of accountability toward her people. Her leadership is proof that strength doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. It’s visible in the way she protected jobs during downturns, in how she chooses to walk the shop floor instead of staying behind the desk, and in how she has reimagined culture as central to performance. She represents a quiet revolution—one that doesn’t reject tradition, but reshapes it with empathy, integrity, and long-term vision.
Heather’s story is more than just the journey of one woman leader. It’s a mirror for where manufacturing as an industry stands today. Stuck between legacy and reinvention. Between past models of leadership and future demands of progress. Between being built for scale and being built for people. Leaders like her remind us that manufacturing can hold both—heritage and innovation, profitability and purpose, machines and humanity.
This edition brings together stories, perspectives, and ideas that challenge us to rethink what leadership in manufacturing really means. Because the cost of not doing so is too high. When women are excluded from decision-making, industries lose more than representation—they lose innovation, balance, and the ability to compete in a world that is moving forward at lightning speed.
As you turn these pages, you’ll see that manufacturing’s future won’t be written by tradition alone. It will be shaped by leaders who dare to bring their full selves to the table—leaders who know that resilience is not about resisting change but embracing it with responsibility and vision. Leaders like Heather Bruce, and the many women we proudly celebrate in this edition.
This is not just their story. It’s a story of where manufacturing is headed. And if there’s one thing we know, it’s that the future is brighter, bolder, and stronger when women lead it.
Read the full edition in IMPAAKT, the Top Business Magazine, spotlighting women transforming the future of manufacturing.
