The Manufacturing Institute has announced that Marcia Kull, vice president of marine sales for Volvo Penta of the Americas, has been named one of the top women in U.S. manufacturing for 2016.
Kull and the other honorees will be recognized at the 4th Annual Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award at a gala dinner April 21 in Washington, 
D.C. The STEP Ahead Awards celebrate those women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers in all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite.
“These 130 women are the faces of exciting careers in manufacturing,” said Jennifer McNelly, executive director, The Manufacturing Institute. “We chose to honor these women because they each made significant achievements in manufacturing through a positive impact on their company and the industry as a whole. The STEP Ahead Awards are part of the larger STEP Ahead initiative, launched to examine and promote the role of women in the manufacturing industry through recognition, research and leadership for attracting, advancing and retaining strong female talent.”
As Volvo Penta’s vice president of marine sales for the Americas, Kull has profit-and-loss responsibility for marine engine sales in a competitive territory that covers Canada to Panama and the Caribbean. Before joining the marine engine sales division in 2011, Kull served as the company’s general counsel and prior to that role, acted as vice president of dealer and consumer relations.
“Marcia Kull has leveraged all of the experience she’s gained working across the industry to help her succeed as a commercial leader to promote Volvo Penta,” said Ron Huibers, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas. “She is highly respected by her peers, customers and even competitors for her depth of knowledge of Volvo Penta products and markets, and she has taken on great responsibility with her involvement in industry and governmental organizations that serve the national marine community.”
At Volvo Penta, Kull has facilitated year-over-year diesel engine unit growth averaging 14 percent while increasing profitability; created a regionally-based dealer development team to generate pull-through sales of Volvo Penta-powered gasoline sterndrive boats; developed Volvo Penta’s North American marine commercial segment; restructured the commercial distributor network; and mentored young employees through the Volvo Penta International Mentorship Program. She also developed a national program to promote recreational boating as a leisure activity for women. Called “Women Making Waves,” the turn-key program provided boating skills classes for women in over 1,600 marine dealerships nationwide.
Kull chairs the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) Engine Manufacturers Division – the first Volvo Penta employee and the first woman to serve in this role. Prior to this appointment, she served as chairwoman of the NMMA Boating Industry Risk Management Council for six years – the first woman to chair that committee as well. She also serves on the six-member NMMA executive board of directors. She was appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to serve on the National Boating Safety Advisory Council in 2007. In that role, she chaired a team that drafted a compliance section for the U.S. Coast Guard Strategic Plan to reduce recreational boating casualties.
About The Manufacturing Institute – The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute) is the 501(c) (3) affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. As a non-partisan organization, the Institute is committed to delivering leading-edge information and services to the nation’s manufacturers. The Institute is the authority on the attraction, qualification and development of world-class manufacturing talent. For more information, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.
About Volvo Penta- Volvo Penta, with 3,500 dealers in more than 130 countries, is a global manufacturer of engines for leisure boats and commercial vessels, as well as industrial applications. The propulsion program includes diesel and gasoline engines with power outputs between 10 and 900 horsepower. Volvo Penta is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heavy trucks, buses and construction equipment. Please visit www.volvopenta.com
