Operations

Although there is no scientific evidence supporting the law of attraction, the New Thought spiritual belief is based on the idea that people and their thoughts are made from “pure energy” and that like energy can attract like energy, thereby allowing people to improve their health, wealth and relationships.

When it comes to attracting women to beverage operations, experts note that it’s all about women-led leadership that helps empower this workforce.

“Female representation in transportation and logistics leadership roles is key to attracting female talent, as is continuing to make trucking and warehouse jobs safer for women and one in which they see the opportunity for advancement,” says Erin Mitchell, chief operating officer for YMX Logistics, Henderson, Nev.

“At YMX, we are actively recruiting and engaging with women across all our open roles, including driver, dispatch and fleet roles,” she continues. “Women make excellent transportation and logistics professionals, but they sometimes overlook the industry as a career option due to lack of female representation or preconceived notions about the field. Leaders at YMX encourage women to consider our industry and YMX as it’s a well-paying career option with a lot of flexibility for shift schedules and opportunity for advancement.”

Bridget Smith, director of operations for Origlio Beverage, Philadelphia, MacKenzie Minyard, vice president of supply chain for United Distributors, Smyrna, Ga., and Anne Lofgren, operations director at Coors Distributing Co., Denver, highlight the following key points to approach female engagement in beverage operations:

• Flexible and predictable scheduling to balance work and personal life.
• Ergonomic enhancements and automation reduce physical strain.
• Mentorship programs and networking opportunities (e.g., Women in Transportation, Women in Logistics).

Smith, Minyard and Lofgren also stress the importance of recognizing female success stories in frontline and leadership roles to inspire others, pointing to women’s strengths such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and how their attention to detail enhances engagement, reduces errors and promotes continuous improvement.

“Women in leadership roles set an inclusive tone, challenge stereotypes and signal accountability,” they note.

“The opportunities are vast, and we need more talent and diversity of thought in our space in order to keep evolving to meet the needs of the industries we serve.”

– Erin Mitchell, chief operating officer for YMX Logistics

Strategic advantages

Although broader industry adoption remains limited, experts note that organizational efforts to empower women in operations are leading by example and shaping a more inclusive future.

“Anything we can do to attract and retain more talent in the logistics and transportation industries is a plus, and women are vastly underrepresented in our field today,” YMX’s Michell says. “Presenting different types of roles in transportation can help — it’s not all long-haul trucking — there are plenty of home-every-night driving roles, training roles, dispatch, technology, etc.

“The opportunities are vast, and we need more talent and diversity of thought in our space in order to keep evolving to meet the needs of the industries we serve,” she continues.

Smith, Minyard and Lofgren pinpoint normalizing operations as an attractive, viable career path early in professional development as key to furthering engagement.

Moreover, when it comes to training and career development, the experts highlight the following areas operations can focus on:

• Demystify operations roles, often male-dominated or misunderstood, by showcasing career pathways and success stories.
• Provide structured development programs to support women’s progression within the supply chain.
• Offer re-entry programs for women returning to the workforce after family or caregiving responsibilities.

Smith, Minyard and Lofgren also suggest that operations should build on industry programs (e.g., NBWA’s BREW) with a stronger focus on supply chain and operations opportunities for early recruitment and early career exposure, as well as positioning operations-driven career paths as equally dynamic and rewarding as sales or customer-facing roles.

“Broader perspectives improve innovation, problem-solving, and decision-making,” they explain. “Proven business impact — companies with greater gender diversity in leadership outperform peers by up to 15%.”

As far as seeing more companies embrace female engagement in this sector,Smith, Minyard and Lofgren say that they hope for a shift in mindset, where female engagement is seen as essential to success, “not a token gesture or ‘nice to have.’” 

Operations should “recognize that gender diversity is a competitive differentiator, driving stronger culture, performance, and innovation,” they note.

YMX’s Mitchell notes that the transportation and logistics industries have been struggling with labor shortages due to an aging workforce. “Attracting workers from a larger, more diverse pool of candidates can only help that,” she says.

“I have high hopes that women will see transportation and logistics as attractive and valuable places for them to invest in themselves and their careers,” Mitchell continues. “Additionally, in my experience, diverse teams drive better decision-making and stronger results. If more organizations intentionally invest in recruiting, mentoring and promoting women in transportation and logistics, we’ll see measurable gains in efficiency, safety and innovation across the board.”