Emily Reynolds' plastics journey began as a co-op student in the quality assurance and process engineering groups at Morristown, Tenn.-based Colortech Inc. She was originally drawn to the company at a career fair not just because of its proximity to her hometown but also because it offered roles related to her favorite subjects: chemistry, engineering and mathematics.
"The plastics industry fascinated me as I discovered the intricate process of adding color and additives to make final items processable and functional for end consumers," said Reynolds, who studied chemical engineering at Tennessee Technological University.
Reynolds has held positions including technical service engineer, sales representative and now strategic relationship specialist, where she builds relationships with partners and customers and provides them with high-quality, cost-effective products, service and support. She also coordinates with internal groups such as technical service and the color lab to support training, discussions and on-site visits with customers.
"I'm juggling multiple customer projects with varying priorities and providing solutions to partners/customers in a timely fashion. I would not be where I am today without the support and collaboration of the whole Colortech team," she said.
Reynolds' father worked in manufacturing for 40 years, starting on the plant floor and working his way up to network administrator in information technology. Her parents instilled the need for education and hard work.
"One of my most significant professional achievements was advancing from newly completed engineering co-op in 2014 to now serving as a strategic relationship specialist with responsibility for some of Colortech's most vital relationships. … In this [current] position, I have transformed customers into strategic relationships and took on responsibility for existing key partners. Despite being new to the role, I embraced the learning opportunities from my mistakes and grew significantly, inspiring me to continue pushing my boundaries," she said.
Reynolds is also involved with the Plastics Industry Association's Future Leaders in Plastics committee and TN Achieves/TN Promise as a mentor for high school seniors to help them maintain scholarship requirements as well as navigate the transition from high school to post-secondary education.
"Being a woman under 40 in a male-dominated field is already pretty mold-breaking on its own," she said, "though my goal/hope is to be an example for girls/women that you can be successful in engineering and sales, be in the room where decisions are made if they want to be there and also have work-life balance."