Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Patty Rainey’s drive was established early in life. At age ten, she was “a little firecracker,” determined to keep up with the boys and prove that she could do whatever they could do. This drive carries through her life to today. Now a mother to two full-grown children, a grandmother to a two-year old boy, and Quality Manager at Seakeeper’s factory facility, Patty enjoys relaxing on the beach as much as she does throwing punches in the combat classes she takes at the gym.
Though she originally intended to go into human resources, she happened upon a job at Schneider Electric and recognized an abundance of opportunity for personal and professional growth in the manufacturing industry. She jumped on the chance and never looked back.
As Quality Manager, Patty leads the team responsible for assuring the quality of our product. This includes a wide variety of activities, from inspecting incoming components for defects to helping to standardize procedures. We sat down with Patty to learn more about her role at Seakeeper and the perspective she brings to manufacturing.
I really like the aspect of trying to make improvements and that the day-to-day is different. I’m not doing the same thing day in and day out. It keeps me on my toes, keeps it interesting.
One misconception is that quality is the job of a quality department. Quality, in my opinion, is everybody’s job. Each team should build quality into their processes and be conscious of it. Top management down to direct labor, quality is everybody’s job.
I have had mostly positive experiences, but I don’t think manufacturing is widely popular among women because I don’t think it’s promoted, especially in schools. It’s stigmatized as being a dark, dingy, dirty environment to work in. But today, with all the technological advances in manufacturing and best practices with the implementation of lean manufacturing and 5S (methods for reducing waste and streamlining processes), it’s just not that way anymore. Women are an untapped pool of talent here. I think if it was promoted to young girls and de-stigmatized, we would see a lot more women in high positions in this industry.
I would tell her that manufacturing can provide her with the essential building blocks to become an effective and efficient leader in the industry. But also, that she would need to come equipped with the drive and determination to help create that path of success for herself. Manufacturing has a wealth of learning opportunities. If you’re continuously looking to grow, manufacturing is a wonderful place for those opportunities.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it,” by Peter Drucker. I think it’s a really impactful statement that holds you accountable for taking part in making your dream come true.
My coworkers. We have a great group here and that really makes a world of a difference. And I love the fascinating product that we manufacture here. It’s really great to work on such an innovative product and be able to say that we had a hand in making it what it is today. That’s a great feeling.
