Fairfield’s Schaefer-Weaton honored for leadership in manufacturing

FAIRFIELD – Agri-Industrial Plastics President Lori Schaefer-Weaton of Fairfield was named to an exclusive list of women manufacturing leaders who will be honored with a national award this fall.

Schaefer-Weaton is among 130 women who will receive a 2021 STEP Ahead Award from The Manufacturing Institute, partner of the National Association of Manufacturers. The STEP Ahead Award, which stands for “science, technology, engineering and production,” honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers “across all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite.” Award recipients will be recognized during a reception and gala in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 4.

“It is humbling to receive this award, and I receive it on behalf of the amazing team of people I work with every day at Agri-Industrial Plastics Co.,” Schaefer-Weaton said.

Schaefer-Weaton said she is driven to succeed by the 200 people she works with every day. She said her “boss, mentor and dad” Dick Smith motivates her to carry on his legacy in a way that will make the family proud. Smith founded Agri-Industrial Plastics in Fairfield in 1978.

Schaefer-Weaton said she wants to set a good example for her five children as they navigate college and future career paths.

“Especially as a mom of two daughters, I hope they see the future with limitless career possibilities for whatever track they are passionate about,” she said.

Agri-Industrial Plastics has undertaken a couple of major projects in the last couple of years, including the addition in 2019 of a 517-kilowatt solar array on the roof of the company’s building, accompanied by a 424-kilowatt Tesla battery system that made it the first solar project in the Midwest to incorporate this type of battery technology. In 2015, the company built a 104,000 square-foot addition.

Schaefer-Weaton credits her talented and committed team members for these and other successful projects.

“My job is really just to keep us all heading in the same direction,” she said. “We have continued to invest in the business and have grown in support of our customers’ requirements.”

Schaefer-Weaton said her father “set a very high bar” to meet regarding his community service, which included serving on boards such as that of Iowa State Bank, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and Fairfield Economic Development Association. When Schaefer-Weaton moved back to Fairfield in 2005, she followed in his footsteps, joining ABI and later becoming its chair in 2017. She also serves on the Little Superheroes board and the Fairfield Golf & Country Club board.

Schaefer-Weaton is proud of her company’s involvement in aiding community betterment organizations and nonprofits such as the African Violet Foundation, the Lord’s Cupboard, the Women’s Crisis Center, the planned Jefferson County Kids Childcare Center, and more.

“I see this as our responsibility to keep our community and our state a strong, vibrant place to live, play and work,” she said.