During the worst of the pandemic's supply chain challenges, Stacy Kilgore transitioned from health care business manager of Avient Corp.'s Specialty Engineered Materials segment to heading a North America-based team as global strategic sourcing leader.
"My role of locating and procuring raw material ingredients for the development of Avient specialty material solutions took on a new level of problem-solving for not only my categories but also the categories for my entire team," Kilgore said. "At times, it was an adrenaline rush to determine how to find the missing puzzle piece in time. I thrive on collaborating with the global sourcing team and business partners to find creative ways to meet the challenging demands and deliver results.
"Today, those challenges differ in a deflationary environment where I adapt my focus to structure strategic agreements to enable favorable positions in the raw material market. What I love about my role as a leader of global strategic sourcing is the ability to apply my market knowledge and organizational savvy to connect with stakeholders to create unique options that deliver value to customers," she added.
Kilgore graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and an MBA.
"My first entry into the plastics world started before entering college with a summer job at Federal-Mogul, now Tenneco, working an injection mold press. After college, an introduction to the Geon Co. and PVC began a long-standing career in plastics," she said. "My interest in the plastics industry is to break down complex problems and frame those perspectives for various stakeholder groups. I leverage years of plastics industry experience to have forward-thinking discussions and drive action-oriented decisions. Some colleagues say it is my superpower."
The Avon Lake, Ohio-based materials maker has challenged her in numerous ways to develop her leadership brand and skill set to support others, she said. Kilgore has been honored with several awards from Avient, YWCA and others. She is also involved with Avient's charitable and community service programs and the United Way of Greater Lorain County Board of Directors as vice president.
"One of the professors in my Women in Leadership certificate program counseled that you could have everything you want in this world, it just may not be all at the same time," Kilgore said. "This advice has stuck with me as I have navigated countless decisions about family, career and community involvement."
