Sector: Aerospace, Automotive (NASCAR), and Naval Ship Repair

I am currently employed by Joe Gibbs Aerospace as a welder. My position requires the completion of weldments pertaining to a number of aerospace, aviation, and government-based contracts. I also weld and fabricate racecar parts for the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR team.

I have a number of AWS certifications and graduated from Tri-County Technical College cum-laude with a degree in Applied Sciences with a major in Welding. I have worked in the industry for about a decade now and have had on the job training and work experience in nuclear power plant shut downs and refurbishments, fabrication and welding of nuclear dry cask storage containers to house spent nuclear fuel, millwright, hydro-electric turbine tear down and refurbishment and I am now completely immersed in aerospace, naval, government, automotive and experimental aircraft production. My future goals include pursuing my CWI/CWE to further contribute and continue to be an asset for Joe Gibbs Aerospace.

Barbie The Welder is an American metal sculptor, published author of 6 books, and advocate for the skilled trades from Erin, NY. Even though she had no business experience or professional art education, Barbie’s unique, self-taught style of creating sculptures quickly threw her into the spotlight on social media where she caught the eye of individuals and major corporations alike.

To date she has designed and created sculptures for The American Welding Society, Miller Welders, Chicago Pneumatic, Harley Davidson, Carolina Shoe Company, and exclusive clients in 15 countries.

Barbie The Welder has inspired and taught thousands of people to weld art through her books, metal art welding kits, and her YouTube channel.
Visit BarbieTheWelder.com to view her gallery or request a commission, and connect with on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube to see what she does next!

Becky Tuchscherer is Group President, Commercial and Greater ChinaWelding, at Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW). ITW is a Fortune 200 global, diversified industrial manufacturer of value-added consumables and specialty equipment with related service business. The company focuses on profitable growth and strong returns across worldwide platforms and businesses. These businesses serve local customers and markets around the globe, with a significant presence in developed, as well as emerging markets. ITW’s revenues totaled $14.1 billion in 2019 and ITW Welding’s portion of those revenues totaled $1.6 billion.

Becky joined ITW in 1988 as a Financial Analyst for Miller Electric. Over the years, she has held several financial roles in ITW’s Welding Segment including Vice President of Finance, North American Group Controller, and Business Unit Manager. Becky became Group President in 2014. In this capacity, she works with her team of businesses to drive growth strategies in the North American commercial welding and Greater China welding areas.

Becky earned her BA in Accounting from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

Becky currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Fox Cities Peforming Arts Center and the Board of Directors for the Oshkosh YMCA. She is a member of the American Welding Society (AWS) and serves on the AWS Foundation Board. Previously, she served on the AWS Finance Committee. She is also the Co-Chair of the ITW Women’s Network.

Air Products and Chemicals, (NYSE, APD) operating for over 80 years, is a Fortune 500 manufacturer of industrial gases. Principal business is selling gases and chemicals for industrial users. Headquartered in Allentown, PA. Air Products employs 19,000 people in 50 countries worldwide. Sue began her career with Air Products in St. Louis, MO as a sales representative. Over the years she achieved numerous sales awards for her contribution for profitability and revenue. She then moved to the role as Senior Sales Account Manager in the Metals and Chemical Processing Industry across regions in N.A. She was an instrumental leader in planning and executing the roll out of new sales organization in North America with the goal of optimizing facetime with customers, ensuring efficient deployment of sales resources, and reducing territory overlap and T&E costs. From there she served as the first female Regional Sales Manager for Air Products in the Southwest and later the Midwest Region, leading a team focused on chemical processing plants, steel mills, metal fabrication, food, glass, generated gases and small on-site plants. She held several other senior leadership roles and currently is Americas Distributor Manager responsible for sales, profitability, strategy, and development of new technology in the packaged gas market for N.A. Sue is a passionate advocate for diversity and people development. She is among a select few on the Women’s Senior Leadership Group within Air Products and recipient of the President’s Sales Excellence Award. She continues to mentor and develop females within and outside the organization to help them achieve their professional goals. Sue is involved in several local organizations including one of her favorites, CASA, court appointed special advocates for neglected and abused children. She holds the honor of being the first female supplier employee to hold a Vice Presidents’ seat on the Board of Directors of GAWDA (Gases and Welding Distributor Association) 70 year history and was recognized for her involvement in pioneering Women of Gases and Welding — an organization for the advocacy, recruitment, and professional advancement of females in the gases and welding industry. Sue also championed a $50,000 scholarship, funded by Air Products and the American Welding Society, awarded annually to a female pursuing a degree in a welding or welding-related educational program.

She attended Southeast Missouri State University where she earned a BS in Business Administration and later an MBA in Finance from St. Louis University. Many people question how she has succeeded with a company focused on the industrial segment that covers a wide range of patented technology as well as working primarily in a male dominated industry. Her success has been her tenacity, taking courses to help with application technology, learning to overcome obstacles, and more importantly finding a strong mentor. Having traveled extensively throughout her career she managed to raise two independent successful children. Sue made a difficult decision to stay in her hometown although her various roles throughout her career were all over the country. Wasn’t a popular decision among Corporate America back then especially working alongside other males who had moved multiple times in their careers. She dug in her heels and continued to move forward although her life has been comprised of trains, planes, hotels and rented cars. She will be the first to admit it didn’t come without sacrifices and hardships but with the right support group anything is achievable. Working women and stay at home moms are personal/financial decisions, the key is we both need each other to make it work. She shares her wisdom, coaching and advice to many women on how to navigate through it all to reach their personal and professional goals.