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moldmakingtechnology.com 31 laying the foundation for success at Prestige because he was not only passion- ate about the industry but well-respected for leading the company with creativity and integrity. Though Mike is no longer there (he lost a courageous battle with can- cer in 1998; Donna remar- ried in 2006, to Kenneth Pursell), Donna carries that passion still. As CEO of Prestige Mold and president of Pres-Tek Plastics Inc., a mold devel- opment center and an ISO 13485:2003-certified Class 8 that I'm comfortable with," she says. Donna also over- sees and helps to build the executive team, which she says is composed of hard- working, intelligent people that she is proud to work side by side with. Donna adds that, with the pressures and commit- ments of two companies, she knows her time can be stretched very thin, and she realizes now, more than ever, the importance of hav- ing strong team members in key positions. "As we continue to grow, I will be clean room for produc- tion located next door to Prestige, Donna says she is responsible for the success or failure of both compa- nies, and it's a role she does not take lightly. In fact, she believes her most significant contribution to the industry is providing steady, chal- lenging work for more than 120 employees so that they can provide for their fami- lies. She oversees the high- level financial operations. "This is not something that I feel I can delegate, because I know the level of risk more focused on groom- ing the right people for those positions to ensure our success in the indus- try for years to come," she says. As for bringing more women into the industry, Donna believes exposure is key, because this isn't the old-school manufacturing world. She thinks the best chance for bringing more women into the industry is through an introduction to engineering, mold design, metrology and inspection, and injection molding simu- lation software. Patricia Miller CEO + Visionary Matrix 4, Woodstock, Illinois "There is something to be said for watching a physical, tangible product being made." Patricia Miller's rules to live by include having a passion for manufacturing and mak- ing physical products, bring- ing outside perspective and experience to the table, and not being fearful to chal- lenge the status quo. Patricia officially joined the manufacturing indus- try in July 2014 when she became the owner and CEO of Matrix 4, but her love for manufacturing came much sooner. She grew up with Matrix 4 as a family company her grandparents started in 1976, with her mom working in manufacturing and pro- cess engineering. Patricia says she always loved seeing what was being made. She became more fascinated with manu- facturing when she joined the pharmaceutical/biotech industry and was tasked with auditing manufacturing facilities, visiting pharmacy dispensaries and observing different manufacturing pro- cesses. When the opportunity to take over and revitalize Matrix 4 opened up, she says she couldn't say no. She set out to establish a vision and strategy for the company, to create an engag- ing culture, and to instill business acumen and an open-mindedness for doing something different in a tra- ditional space. She describes Matrix 4 as a 40-year-old startup, because she and the rest of leadership took this shell of a business that at one time was vibrant, but due to post-recession and globaliza- tion was nearing the end of its life, and decided to do something with it. Today, Matrix 4 is a team-driven, customer-centric design and manufacturing house and maker of plastic. Above all, Patricia is a huge advocate for having the right people in the right seats, but creating an environment and culture to be inclusive, diverse and open-minded is critical. Matrix 4 is woman- owned, and most of the team is women. "Growing up with a mom who worked on the manufacturing floor and never believed in a ceiling absolutely helped define me, and her legacy is still very much in our culture," Patricia says. Patricia hopes that what is still a work in progress becomes her greatest contri- bution, because it can impact local economy, people's lives and products that are mean- ingful. She sees herself con- tinuing to be engaged and driv- ing the strategy and culture of the house, and staying actively engaged in industry activity, "as we all write the next chap- ter of manufacturing together."