International Bottled Water Association | MEDIA RELEASE | November 17, 2014
Los Angeles employee earns national Plant Manager of the Year award
Dallas, TX – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) today announced a Los Angeles, California, employee has won the prestigious Plant Manager of the Year award for 2014.
Nicole Boehm, a Division Production Manager with Primo Water North America, was handed the title at IBWA’s Annual General Meeting as part of the 2014 IBWA Annual Business Conference in Dallas, Texas.
In making the announcement, IBWA Convention Committee Co-Chair Dan Kelly said Ms Boehm was an exceptional employee.
“Nicole has worked in the bottled water industry for 16 years. For 13 of those years, she has been a certified plant operator. She started her career as a laboratory assistant in a high-speed P.E.T. production facility. From there, Nicole moved into the home and office delivery business as a laboratory technician. She was promoted three years later to quality manager. Nicole became the plant manager for DS Services’ Lakeside, California plant in 2005,” Mr. Kelly said.
“While the plant manager for Lakeside, Nicole entered the M.B.A. program at San Diego State University and graduated in 2010. Based on her achievements within DS, Nicole was promoted to Division Production Manager this year, where she oversees six facilities in the state of California.
“Nicole prides herself on producing a high-quality product, in a safe and productive work environment. The Lakeside facility achieved IBWA’s Excellence in Manufacturing status each and every year Nicole managed that plant. In 2013, her facility received top honors among all DS facilities across the country for product quality and safety.
“Nicole was also appointed the Safety Captain for DS’s entire San Diego Area team in 2013. In that role, she assisted route operations with safety training and program management. Nicole also organized an internal safety leadership workshop that focused on accident investigations, safety principles, communication, and coaching. While not required as part of her job – Nicole organized the workshop because she wanted to help her team develop their leadership skills. That’s just one example of how Nicole is committed to elevating the status of the bottled water industry.”
Since 1963, IBWA has been recognizing the efforts of the bottled water industry’s plant managers. As ambassadors of the bottled water industry, plant managers are on the front lines in the critical role of ensuring safe and quality bottled water products are produced for customers.
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Media Contact:
Jill Culora
jculora@bottledwater.org
703.647.4609
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.
In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.
IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.
