Blair Lamendola
Plant Engineer
Linde
Please meet this week's WOTW, Blair Lamendola! Blair is a Louisiana native, high school valedictorian, and graduate of LSU Baton Rogue, where she studied biological engineering. Early in her career, Blair worked on the BP oil spill plankton samples and focused on microscope lab analysis and understanding the impacts to aquatic life. She always believed she would go to medical school, but after working in a research lab, she progressed into the chemical plant atmosphere with a role in a lab at Honeywell. She started at Honeywell in 2015 where she was on a rotating shift in the lab for 4 years. She then progressed to a role as a quality specialist and ultimately morphed into a role as a quality engineer. After working in the quality field, Blair decided she wanted to do chemical engineering work, so she spent her last 6 months at Honeywell as a chemical engineer. She joined Linde in 2022 as a plant engineer.
Blair's determination stemmed from childhood, and she attributes her "can-do" attitude to how she was raised; she was taught to always give 100% in everything she does. She prides herself on never giving up and believes she can do anything she sets her mind to. She is a self-advocate and is always looking 10 steps ahead to understand how to progress her career and personal development.
While working in the male-dominated field of operations and engineering, Blair encountered many challenges, especially around accommodations needed during pregnancy and life as a new mom. She proactively educated her employer on chemicals she could and could not be around during her pregnancy and asked for special accommodations during her time as a new mom. Blair quickly realized that the industry had not historically had to make accommodations for its employees due to roles traditionally being held by men. Her employer accepted her requests for accommodations, but this made Blair realize that the industry did not have any governance or standard policies around this common scenario.
As we wrapped up the interview, Blair shared some advice and key takeaways that she has learned from her time in the industry. She stated that it is imperative to always be true to yourself and to always maintain a good support system. Lastly, she recommended a tool - The Gallup Clifton strengths survey - to help people become self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and what efforts should be made to either utilize your strengths or help balance out your weaknesses. Interested to hear more about Blair's journey in the industry? Watch the full recording on our Vimeo page which can be found through our website.
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