The Manufacturing Institute has recognized Missy Depinet, procurement director for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, with a Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award for 2020. Depinet is among 130 women nationally who earned the honor this year from a field of hundreds of nominees. The STEP Ahead Awards program, now in its eighth year, recognizes women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of manufacturing, from the factory floor to senior executive leadership. On April 30, winners of the STEP Ahead Award will be recognized at a reception in Washington, D.C., where honorees’ stories will be highlighted, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing, as well as their roles in the community. Depinet, one of eight Cooper employees to receive this honor over the past five years, will attend this event, along with members of Cooper’s senior executive leadership team. “Through a career spanning more than two decades with Cooper Tire, Missy has demonstrated her leadership capability in a variety of roles across the company. Her project planning skills as well as her ability to develop and implement key processes have been valuable in supporting Cooper’s business goals,” said Brad Hughes, Cooper’s president and chief executive officer. “She is a great ambassador of Cooper, and on behalf of the entire organization, I congratulate Missy and wish her continued success.”

Depinet began her career at Cooper in 1997 and has held roles in finance, information technology, supply chain and procurement. In her current position, she leads Cooper’s indirect purchasing team with a focus on implementing purchasing processes and procedures that drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Depinet serves as a mentor to students in the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Women in Business Leadership program, is a member of the BGSU Supply Chain Institute Advisory Board and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees in management information systems (MIS) and information systems auditing and control (ISAC) from Bowling Green State University, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Findlay. The STEP Ahead Awards are part of a larger STEP Women’s Initiative, which works to foster a 21st century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership development.