EK’s Burkhardt and Weinberger Named Empowering Women in Industry Award Winners

Fall River, Wisconsin, October 26, 2026 — EK, an industry-leading complete manufacturer and power products company, is proud to announce that two of its own, Melissa Burkhardt and Emily Weinberger, were recently named Empowering Women in Industry Award Winners at the organization’s annual conference and gala held in New Orleans.

Melissa Burkhardt, EK Project Manager, was named the 2026 Tradeswoman of the Year. This award recognizes a woman in a trades career who excels in her work and advocates for women in her industry. Melissa was honored for her accomplishments in her career and her commitment to supporting other women in the trades.

Emily Weinberger, EK Assembly Manager, was named 2026 Leadership in Manufacturing Award Winner. This award recognizes a woman in the manufacturing industry whose leadership positively impacts the people she works with. Emily was selected for the positive influence she has on her colleagues and her team.

In addition, Emily was named MetalForming Magazine 2026 Rising Stars in Metal Forming and Fabricating honoree.

“EK is proud to have Melissa and Emily’s talent on our team, and this well-earned recognition reflects their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the trades and manufacturing community,” said Steve Slack, President and CEO of EK. “Their work ethic, knowledge, and can-do attitude continue to inspire the next generation of women in manufacturing.”

Melissa brings an architectural design background to her role as Project Manager at EK, serving as the key link between customers and the shop floor. Raised hunting and fishing alongside her grandfather and father, she learned early that showing up and pulling her weight mattered most — a lesson that shaped her career in a traditionally male-dominated field.

“I love to see something go from a thought, to paper, to an actual physical build,” Melissa said.

In addition to her work at EK, Melissa founded Next Generation Trades, a nonprofit supporting technology education in rural Wisconsin schools.

Emily’s path to manufacturing wasn’t direct, she spent four years in healthcare administration before joining EK as a Human Resources Coordinator. While earning her associate degree in Leadership and Organizational Development, she discovered a passion for the craft itself and stepped into the Assembly Supervisor role in 2024 and recently was promoted to Assembly Manager. Drawn to EK’s small-town, family-owned culture, Emily has embraced being a woman in a male-dominated field, growing representation on the assembly floor and championing manufacturing’s diverse career paths.

“I love watching my team grow, especially assemblers who start young and advance into new roles at EK,” Emily said.

Empowering Women in Industry’s vision is to help women advance in their profession and build a future generation of women in leadership.

To learn more about EK, its full line of manufacturing and power product packaging solutions, visit https://www.ekmachine.com/.

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About EK

EK is an industry-leading complete manufacturing and power products company. Established in 1970 and headquartered in Fall River, Wisconsin, EK operates a growing, safety-first culture across seven state-of-the-art facilities in Fall River and Madison, providing contract manufacturing — including machining, fabrication, welding, assembly, and powder coating, along with power system protection products like large-scale generator enclosures — to a diverse customer base across agriculture, oil and gas, construction, data, water treatment, aerospace, transportation, and power generation industries. To learn more about EK, visit www.ekmachine.com.