Nickleson Named a Notable Woman in Manufacturing by Twin Cities Business Magazine
Lori Nickleson is a female operations leader at Andersen’s Bayport window manufacturing plant.
Lori Nickleson is an operations leader at Andersen’s Bayport window manufacturing plant. She oversees Bayport’s 100 Series window production, dedicated to Andersen’s fastest growing product line due to its proprietary Fibrex® material. In recognition of her leadership, Lori has been honored as part of Twin Cities Business magazine’s “2024 Notable Women in Manufacturing" awards.
The annual awards honor exemplary leaders in a traditionally male-dominated field. Nominees are selected based on their leadership within engineering and manufacturing processes, logistics, data, technology, packaging as well as their volunteer and mentorship efforts.
“Lori is a people-first leader who strives for excellence and actively works to fully engage each of her team members,” said Lance Whitacre, senior vice president, manufacturing and logistics at Andersen. “Lori exemplifies what it means to be a leader and her work at Andersen is an incredible contribution to the company’s success.”
As shared in the magazine article, Lori was honored for accomplishments within the Bayport manufacturing facility and her efforts to build a positive culture fostering emotional safety and spearheading diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The production lines that she oversees are home to some of the most diverse employee populations across the company — more than 12 different languages are spoken by employees. Lori has been instrumental in increasing belonging by promoting English as a Second Language classes and creating space for foot-washing stations and quiet rooms used for prayer.
When Andersen experienced extended lead times during the global pandemic in 2021 due to supply chain disruptions, Lori worked to convert an existing manufacturing line to create added capacity for mulls, a product that was experiencing an extended lead time.
“Through innovative thinking and dedicated team members, we’re not only growing our capacity, but we are also working more efficiently, engaging our associates and allowing our products to reach our customers faster,” Lori said.
Posted: February 14, 2024