Ashleigh Walters, President of Onex, Inc. in Erie, PA, was recently named Chair of the Board of Directors at the Northwest Industrial Resource Center (NWIRC). Over the last 16 years, Walters’ has advanced through various positions at Onex’s facilities in Charlotte, NC, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Erie, Pa. She led the company through a comprehensive restructuring and repositioning process, including a move to a new facility better suited for their needs.
Walter’s joined the NWIRC Board two years ago and has been very active with stakeholder advocacy at both the federal and state levels. This includes trips for Manufacturing Hill Day to Washington D.C. and Harrisburg, PA for multiple years. She was also active with NWIRC’s program, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing, with Onex, Inc. participating as the featured company in RB Wiley Charter School’s student video in 2018 and 2019.
Robert Zaruta, President/CEO at NWIRC, said “Ashleigh’s demonstrated leadership, innovativeness, and passion for manufacturing are among her many strengths that contribute to the success of NWIRC and our work with the manufacturers we serve.”
New members to the NWIRC Board of Directors were also introduced at a recent quarterly meeting. Diana Wilcosz is the Vice President of Administration for Peters’ Heat Treating based in Meadville PA. Carolyn Boser Newhouse, is the Executive Director of the Bradford Area Alliance and President of SuperUser Technologies, Inc. Debbie Neal is the CFO at Franklin Industries in Franklin PA.
Outgoing Board Chair Dan Ignasiak, President of SEPCO, has been a board member for over 16 years and served as Chair since 2013. NWIRC also recognized John Bauman, President of FRALO, and Jake Rouch, Vice President of Economic Development for Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (ERCGP), as they retire from their NWIRC Board positions.