- The 5th Annual Women in Supply Chain Awards, presented by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, spotlights two PECO Pallet leaders.
- Vanessa Hornai and Sarah Palmer are recognized for their exemplary leadership, mentorship and exceptional performance, which inspires colleagues and drives results.
ITASCA, IL — September 17, 2024 — PECO Pallet has announced that Vanessa Hornai and Sarah Palmer have been honored with the 2024 Women in Supply Chain Award by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive. This prestigious recognition highlights their outstanding contributions and leadership within PECO and the industry.
Women in Supply Chain Awards celebrate workforce innovation and trailblazing
Vanessa Hornai has been honored with the “Workforce Innovator” Women in Supply Chain Award. As Senior Purchasing Manager, she has played a pivotal role in supporting PECO’s expanding supply chain. Vanessa has managed an integrated program encompassing sustainable purchasing and procurement, inventory management, transportation and financial reconciliation across the company’s entire North American network. Vanessa’s journey illustrates the positive, enduring impact that continued supply chain education can have on leadership skills, personal and professional growth and workforce development. She has also “payed forward” those benefits through mentorship, support and encouragement of others.
Sarah Palmer has been honored with the “Trailblazer” Women in Supply Chain Award. As Senior Manager, Operations at the Chicago Depot, Sarah has earned a reputation as a go-to problem solver whose positive attitude motivates her teams to reach ambitious improvement goals. Sarah has led a remarkable transformation at PECO’s Chicago depot, achieving unprecedented production and employee morale gains. Her embracing of Lean practices of leadership and continuous improvement, and her skillful application of them, are a case study in building and sustaining a high-performing team – and a path to excellence for a young professional developing a successful career.
“I could not be prouder of Vanessa and Sarah for the work they’ve put in and the leadership they have demonstrated to build our success,” said Joe Dagnese, PECO’s chief executive officer. “These are two remarkable examples of strong, respected women who are improving our company and building successful teams through leadership, workforce development, and superior planning and execution skills.”
The Women in Supply Chain Award honors female supply chain leaders and executives whose accomplishments, mentorship and examples set a foundation for women in all levels of a company’s supply chain network. This year’s list includes individuals from software and service providers, consultancies and academia, trucking and transportation firms, professional development agencies, sourcing and procurement divisions and more.
“Every year, this award continues to amaze me. But this year especially, it’s all about the quality of the submissions. These women are doing remarkable things for their communities, organizations and teams and are paving the way for future young female leaders to be a part of an industry that’s making a difference,” said Marina Mayer, Editor-in-Chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Co-Founder of the Women in Supply Chain Forum.
“New this year, the award was broken down into Rising Stars, Trailblazers, DEI Pioneer and Workforce Innovator. From there, we named an overall winner per category and then four honorable mentions per category. This year’s applications were superb and made it next to impossible to just pick one winner. I’m so proud of these women and their achievements. We’re just getting started.”
Go to this link to view the story and 2024’s honorees. Recipients will be honored at this year’s Women in Supply Chain Forum, set to take place Nov. 12-13, 2024, in Atlanta. Go to www.WomenInSupplyChainForum.com to register and learn more.
About Supply & Demand Chain Executive
Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the only supply chain publication covering the entire global supply chain, focusing on trucking, warehousing, packaging, procurement, risk management, professional development and more. Supply & Demand Chain Executive and sister publication Food Logistics are also home to L.I.N.K. podcast channel, SCNSummit.com, SupplyChainLearningCenter.com, the Women in Supply Chain Forum and more. Go to www.SDCExec.com to learn more.
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
