Southwire is an organization that is committed to leading with its values: Empowerment, Trust, Consistency and Inclusion. As part of that commitment, we partnered with Nessel to equip and modernize facilities across the organization with dedicated nursing room spaces to ensure women have an equitable, clean and private space of their own. 

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Nessel, a women-owned, health-based furniture company designed by working moms for working moms, seeks to improve lives and keep communities safe and supported through innovative design and by creating the proper accommodations so that breastfeeding team members do not have to choose between work and family.

“This project represents the best of who we are and who we want to be – an industry thought leader that continues to be a catalyst for positive change and to create inclusive environments for all team members,” said Cara Herzog, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. “We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made and look forward to what the future holds for women and mothers in manufacturing.”

Southwire first learned of Nessel at a valued nonprofit partner’s, Women in Manufacturing (WiM), annual Moms in Manufacturing virtual conference in 2021. The multi-year project included key processes to ensure implementation was scalable. Southwire and Nessel set out to create a global Corporate Lactation Policy, design standard lactation rooms to enable consistent accommodations across all sites, provide leadership education about the PUMP Act, provide maintenance training for ongoing support and more.

"It is organizations like Southwire and Nessel that are leading change to drive more equitable, safe and comfortable experiences for women in the manufacturing industry," said Allison Grealis, WiM President and Founder. "It is exciting to see their efforts turn into real impact for Southwire's team members, and WiM is proud to have organizations like Southwire make meaningful change through opportunities we offer."

In addition, a project plan was developed to ensure executive support, assess organizational needs, leverage a multi-phased implementation schedule and create a series of resources to prepare, manage and support implementation across all sites.

“Good companies see a problem and patch it up with immediate, short-term solutions. Great companies see a problem as an opportunity, creating programs and policies to address the underlying issues that create the problem in the first place,” said Stephanie Boms, chief executive officer at Nessel. “In that way, these companies stand-out, leading the charge with true organizational change that supports long-term, sustained success.”

This project sets Southwire apart as an industry leader that values inclusive spaces. The rooms created go beyond compliance, and lean into inclusive accommodations, which allow team members to bring their full selves to work.

“The partnership between Southwire and Nessel demonstrates our shared commitment to foster an environment where respect and inclusion are at the forefront of everything that we do,” said Guyton Cochran, chief financial officer. “Investments like our nursing mothers standard aren’t just the right thing to do, they are the smart thing to do. We want to be an Employer of Choice and create a culture of inclusivity that enables all individuals to feel supported at work.”

For more information on Southwire’s ongoing commitment to DEI, visit www.southwire.com/dei. For more Southwire news, visit www.southwire.com/newsroom.