Amy Costello of Armstrong Honored with STEP Ahead Award

Lancaster, PA, March 2, 2018-The Manufacturing Institute announced that it will award Amy Costello, sustainability manager, Armstrong Flooring, with the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award.

The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory-floor to the C suite.

As a licensed environmental engineer with 25-plus years of experience, Costello is responsible for driving sustainability for Armstrong Flooring in operations and on the product side. Her extensive knowledge of sustainable practices allows her to understand what is needed to fully integrate and drive sustainability throughout the business.

The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research, and leadership for attracting, advancing, and retaining strong female talent. In five years, STEP Ahead Award winners have impacted more than 300,000 individuals-from peers in the industry to school-aged children.

Women constitute one of manufacturing’s largest pools of untapped talent. Women totaled about 47% of the U.S. labor force in 2016, but only 29% of the manufacturing workforce. Not only does the STEP Ahead initiative bolster manufacturing’s attractiveness to women, it also plays an important role in improving the perception of careers in the industry among younger generations.

On April 10, The Manufacturing Institute will recognize 130 recipients of the STEP Ahead Awards at a reception in Washington, D.C. The STEP Ahead Awards program will highlight each honoree’s story, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.