Manufacturing Her Future: A Career Evolution from Production to Sales
Starting her career on the manufacturing floor and working her way up to a sales role over the last two decades, Candace Fairfield has built a career in healthcare packaging rooted in hands-on expertise. In this interview, she shares how her background in manufacturing shaped her approach to sales, the challenges she’s overcome, and her advice for women looking to advance in the industry.
Walk me through your career path at Oliver.
Nearly 20 years ago, I started my career at Oliver on the manufacturing floor as an Inspector for pouches, lids, and other packages. After a short time in the role, I shifted to testing pouches and then received training to be a Pouch Machine Operator. At that time, there was only one other woman as a machine operator. After about three years, I took a promotion as a Quality Inspector, where I was responsible for completing the final inspections and certification of products. A few years later, I was promoted within the quality organization and transitioned into a role focused on CAPAs and nonconformances (NCMs), where I worked for approximately seven years.
At that point, I decided that I wanted to steer my career in the direction of sales. So, I began in a Customer Care role that eventually led me to the Account Manager role that I am in today.
How has your time working on the manufacturing floor influenced your approach and effectiveness in your current role working with customers?
What’s one piece of advice you would give to a woman whose considering applying for a manufacturing-based role?
If I could give one piece of advice, I’d encourage them to not shy away from taking this leap, even if they may think it’s outside their comfort zone. Take the chance to learn a new skill set and grow your experience and knowledge base. You never know where that experience will lead you.
We all have to start somewhere, and having experience on the manufacturing floor gives us a better understanding of how a company operates. You also have the chance to build connections with the individuals that produce the products we sell every day. There’s a lot of value in starting in an essential role at a company, and manufacturing is truly the backbone of a company.
The theme of the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th is #AccelerateAction, emphasizing the need for urgent and impactful progress toward gender equality. How does Oliver #AccelerateAction for gender equality in your workplace or industry?
The manufacturing floor at Oliver looks a lot different today than it did 20 years ago when I started. More and more women are taking manufacturing roles. It’s no longer defined as a “masculine” role and women no longer shy away from taking on these types of job roles.
Over nearly two decades and many role changes, Oliver has provided a great support system. My superiors were always so supportive and helped me to progress to the next level by sharing their knowledge and experience to enhance my abilities.
