Special
Features / June 2007
Chemically Engineered
 Yvette Woodward and Chaco
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By Pat Lawrence
A jet setting Mid Ohio Valley chemical engineer seems like a contradiction in terms, but it’s been a natural progression for Yvette Woodward. The Kraton project manager who once worried if she should leave her hometown has flown to Japan, France, Holland and Germany in the last year as part of her professional duties.
It isn’t just the degree, or that she graduated Magna Cum Laude or that she knows the work. Yvette has made good decisions, taken risks and been willing to make big changes to get the results she wanted.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA, Yvette attended Louisiana State University.
She majored in chemical engineering, but ended up with three minors - chemistry, French and environmental engineering. “I chose chemical engineering because I really enjoyed chemistry, physics and math. It really only took one more class for a chemistry minor, but I decided to graduate in five years rather than four to take extra classes and explore additional interests. Three days of professional instruction after graduation costs about $1500 - the price of an entire semester.”
Although college students tend to undervalue foreign language skills, Yvette says, “In a competitive job situation, the grasp of fundamentals is important as well as the GPA, but the ability to understand a foreign language can be a deciding factor.” When she went to France, Yvette needed to speak with French Kraton technicians who didn’t speak English. “People think everyone in the world speaks English, but they don’t. And, even the French appreciate someone who at least tries to speak their language. It demonstrates respect for their language and culture.”
Yvette worked at Dow in Baton Rouge for four years before joining Kraton in 2004 as a process engineer but was soon leading a team. Part of her job at Kraton is leading improvement projects, like increasing production of a particular manufacturing unit or streamlining a process to reduce costs. Kraton has five operating units divided into sections. Yvette works in a section that supports hydrogenated polymers.
Projects are well planned in advance and accompanied by numerous meetings with technical team managers and team members. Interests and ideas are brought to her attention by other employees as well. “It’s never one person making the decisions. It’s always a dialog.” Kraton has flex-time hours, so although Yvette doesn’t clock in, if the plant is running well, she generally works 8-5. “But, the chemical plant works 24 hours a day and acute situations need immediate attention. A quality problem, if product performance isn’t meeting specifications, can’t wait till Monday morning. We can’t be producing something that can’t be sold.”
So, Yvette suits up in a fashionably flame - resistant garment, looks at data and works together with operating technicians to find the problem. “Operating technicians have their hands and eyes on the equipment so I don’t do anything without talking with them. I have tremendous respect for their skills and experience.” Yvette says, “The key to success, even as a technical engineer, is working well with people from a variety of backgrounds - from PhD chemists to mechanics. It’s always a team. No one is the Lone Ranger.”
The issue that led to her international visitations dealt with product contamination. “It’s a product used in the plastic used to make IV bags and food trays. For such sensitive applications, any contamination is unacceptable, even a clothing fiber. The project started in the Belpre plant and took me to Japan to meet the customers directly, to discuss and understand what they expected.” She returned to Japan to present an update and accept customer congratulations for a job well done. Ultimately, Yvette visited Kraton facilities in France, Holland and Germany to help them start contamination projects in their units. “It was extremely gratifying to take a leadership position and be able to help my colleagues solve their problems. It was collaboration on a global scale!”
In October, Yvette married a Parkersburg firefighter and they moved to a house in the country, where they train dogs and enjoy back packing and mountain biking. She wants other women to open their minds to the possibilities of a non-traditional career, although she admits there is a dark side to it.
“Prepare to work hard and encounter resistance in a non-traditional career. Women often have to work harder to prove themselves in the workplace.” And, she says, “This kind of high octane career involves sacrifice - longer work hours, higher stress level, more pressure to succeed, more criticism. There have been days when I thought, ‘Who needs this? I’ll just quit.’ But it’s worth it. Specialized skills open doors to new, challenging opportunities, high salary, good benefits, and great pride.”
She and her brother are the first in their family to go to college. Yvette’s parents are Hungarian immigrants. “They didn’t have a college education but they understood how it would make all the difference in our quality of life.”
Clearly, they were right.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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