Get to know the next generation of district leaders
Amanda Dahms – District Administrator, PMA Wisconsin
District Administrator (Student at UW-Milwaukee)
Amanda had never stepped foot into a manufacturing facility before she met the Vice President of Sales at Waukesha Metal Products during a Milwaukee Bucks game. “I’m a U.S. Marine,” says Amanda, “and I volunteered with our local chapter, Student Veterans of America – as Vice President and organizing the Veterans Ball. That night, we were honored during the game. Chris Zuzick, Vice President of Sales was there, representing Waukesha’s support for veterans. We met and I shared my interest in event planning and taking a break from school to learn a new skill. About three months later, I got a call from him with a job opportunity as administrative assistant, and district administrator. I took the job even though I knew nothing about manufacturing.”
Shortening the Learning Curve
That was four years ago. Since then, Amanda has gone back to school, but remains the PMA Wisconsin district administrator. And, while Amanda had no prior metalforming experience going into her new role, “…working with the district changed this quickly,” she said. “I started in February and immediately began networking with others within the district and other districts.”
She attributes plant tours as the most helpful way to learn the industry faster. “It’s always good to get (your) people on the shop floor. For me, it was helpful to see how other shops do things and bring some of those ideas back to our plant,” she said. Amanda explained that she once visited a company called Beyond Vision, which stood out to her because all of their employees are blind, which makes them constantly searching for innovative ways to improve their quality.
“I enjoy bringing it all together and telling this giant story of the metalworking industry,” she said. “It’s like a puzzle for me when it comes to piecing everything together. I learned so much starting with the mills and all the way up the pipeline to the OEM’s.” When asked about her favorite experience with the district, Amanda said it was being part of the golf outing. “It expedited the learning curve and allowed me to broaden my horizons,” she said.
Putting in the extra time
Amanda, like most other PMA members, doesn’t mind putting in the extra time beyond her day job. “For me, it’s about finding purpose. In the Marines, there was a purpose for everything we did. When I got out, I got the renewed sense of purpose by volunteering with Student Veterans of America, being an event planner for the Veterans Ball, and giving my time to support the great activities for PMA Wisconsin.”
“Embrace the younger generations…”
As for how the organization can better communicate with younger generations, Amanda believes that the companies within PMA will continue to adjust and change with the times. She stressed that remote work is quite prevalent nowadays, and companies who don’t adjust may find it more difficult to compete for up-and-coming employees, which could result in losing the cutting-edge ideas that the young employees may offer. “I recently listened to a presentation where the amount of young professionals who are looking for remote job opportunities was over 65%. At work, there aren’t enough hours in the day. There is so much time wasted between distractions, water-cooler talk, etc. At home, your work can get done in far less time under the right circumstances, leaving more time for the laundry list of tedious lower-priority tasks that also need attention.” She believes,
“…PMA can help companies accept change through seminars and be a driving force.”
“This doesn’t mean that we don’t socialize,” Amanda continues. “We just do it differently. Now, we build remote teams, and when we get together, we like to be active, enjoying drinks, discussing best practices, playing games.” Maybe that’s why Top Golf, shuffleboard and other social activities are so popular.
Teaching the next generation
Amanda isn’t a huge fan of social media usage; however, she recognizes that it’s a good source of information. “Our generation learns through so many different channels; YouTube is a popular media, to learn new information, and then apply it. PMA is already moving in this direction through its METALFORM EDU platform, and there are many ways for the Wisconsin district to use social media to promote all of the opportunities in manufacturing.”