Each year the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey asks their colleagues and peers in the business community and academia to nominate extraordinary women in a variety of sectors for recognition by the association. This year two Triangle executives were nominated by CEO Dax Strohmeyer and recognized for their professional prowess and high achievement.

Liseets Taveras, Director of Human Resources, was cited for her progressive approach to the 250-person work force that she and her department manage. Liseets always puts the associates first, constantly trying to improve their overall experience. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Taveras was able to recruit 50 new associates to meet the demands of Triangle’s robust growth and expansion. She accomplished this by highlighting the opportunities for growth and advancement as well as the wages and benefits program.

For those new to the manufacturing industry, Taveras brought them on as trainees to slowly acquaint them with operations. She created a Women in Manufacturing Networking Group to help change the perception that manufacturing should not be a male-dominated industry but an inclusive one that offers great opportunities to women. She hopes to cultivate a greater awareness with outreach to young girls in primary and secondary grades, opening their minds to the possibilities.

Ashley Hagedoorn, Director of Medical Manufacturing, was honored for her supportive leadership at Triangle. She started at Triangle eight years ago as a planner and rose through the ranks to become a supervisor, manager and then director. Hagedoorn was a business management major and worked in the corporate world before deciding to do postgraduate studies in project planning. She knew nothing about manufacturing when she accepted a job at Triangle, but she quickly adapted, asked lots of questions and forged her way. As a director, she encourages women to consider this non-traditional career path and brainstorms with the entire executive management team to develop ideas and policy.

The future is bright for women in manufacturing and Triangle is exceptionally lucky to have the talents and leadership of these two role models.