Michelle McClure
Michelle McClure is a respected manufacturing leader with more than two decades of experience in the flooring and building products industry. Currently serving as Site Manager at Engineered Floors, LLC, she oversees a large-scale manufacturing operation with more than 700 employees across six departments in a 24/7 production environment. Known for her results-driven leadership style, McClure has built her career around Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, process improvement, and organizational development. She is recognized for setting high standards while fostering a culture rooted in fairness, accountability, trust, and teamwork, believing strongly that success is achieved collectively rather than individually.
McClure began her career in an entry-level tufting role at Mohawk Industries, where she steadily advanced through quality control and process improvement positions over nearly 17 years. While working full-time and raising four children, she pursued her education through evening and online classes, ultimately earning her bachelor’s degree in business management from Ashworth College. Her commitment to continuous learning and operational excellence helped her transition into Lean Six Sigma leadership roles before she became plant manager at Phenix Flooring. During her tenure there, she successfully expanded the workforce from approximately 150 employees to more than 400, demonstrating her ability to scale operations while maintaining quality and performance standards.
Beyond her manufacturing leadership, McClure is deeply committed to mentorship, workforce development, and community service. As one of the few female plant managers in the flooring industry, she actively encourages and mentors young women pursuing careers in manufacturing and operations leadership. She also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center, supporting victims of domestic violence through shelter services and advocacy programs. In addition, she contributes to workforce and educational initiatives as a board member of the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy. Through both her professional and community work, McClure continues to champion personal growth, continuous improvement, and opportunities for future generations.
• LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt
• Certified Lean Manufacturing Trainer
• Be the Manager People Won't Leave
• How to Build a Culture of Appreciation as a Manager
• Ashworth College- Bachelor's
• Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy
• Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center
What do you attribute your success to?
I'm a very determined person. Once I set my mind to something, I am gung-ho. But I could not have done any of it without my husband and his support. He is always the first one to say, well, of course you can do it. Why not? He's my biggest cheerleader, and I wouldn't be where I am today without him.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I've ever received professionally is that it's not personal. You cannot take disagreements personal, it's a business. You have to be able to separate whether you like this person or not, with the business side of it. Because you and I both know, you disagree with somebody and y'all are friends, it's a lot easier than if you disagree with somebody that you don't like. So you have to go into every situation as this is not personal.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My biggest advice would be that they have to stay consistent in whatever path they are wanting to go. If you want to be a plant manager one day, you need to be a floor supervisor, you need to be a department manager, and then a plant manager. So, I would just tell them to be patient, determined and consistent. And it'll come.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say the biggest challenge right now is finding the talent pool that we're gonna need in 5 to 10 years. Employees are different now than they were 10, 15 years ago. Back then, people were trying to be promoted, and get to the next level, and make more money. Now, it's a very small percentage that wants to go to the next level. People just don't want the responsibility or the time it takes away from their family. So there's kind of a negative look on it that it's too much, it's not worth it type thing, to where, you know, my generation, that's what you did. You showed up to work and worked as hard as you could, because you wanted to be promoted. We've had people that we've asked that are great employees, and they're like, no, that's not what I want to do. I don't want to tell people what to do, or I don't want to be responsible for that. So, I think that is our biggest need right now, future talent for management.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and being trustworthy are most important to me. It's important to me that my team trusts me, and it's important to me that my team is honest with me. I'm a very direct person, so I like other people to be very direct with me. I don't have time for a 2-hour story and all the fluff. I just need to know the details. So, I like the honesty and knowing that I can trust somebody. And then, fairness. I think the biggest thing managers in any industry struggle with is fairness, because it's easy to be a little harder on somebody that you don't really like, whether that's because they're not a good employee, or because you just don't like their personality. You really have to be objective to be fair and consistent. And personally, in my personal life, honesty is gonna be the biggest thing. Honesty and respect. I mean, if people aren't showing respect, and they're not honest, how do we trust them?