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MEMBER PROFILE

Taking a hands-on approach
is nothing new for Tracy
Pendergast.
For nearly 30 years she has continuously
forged a successful path at Gerdau in
Cambridge, one of numerous steel mills
the South American-based company
operates in 10 countries, employing
approximately 30,000 people.
While many would consider a career in
the steel industry a very non-traditional
choice for a woman, she insists this is
not the case and has happily embraced
working amid the heat, noise, and
rumble of the massive Orion Place
facility.

“It’s probably not as uncommon as a
lot of people think,” says Tracy, DE&I &
Sr Organizational Development leader,
who focused a large portion of her
career after joining the company in 1994
working in maintenance planning and
project management. “I got very hands
on and pivoted a little bit attending
Mohawk College to study being a
hydraulics specialist. I became very
interested in the maintenance process
and had a great team working with me.
Being on the floor, I wanted to know
more than just what the job was, what
tools and resources were needed and to
focus on finding improvements, so that
we could keep working safely, and more
efficiently.”
"Know who you are"

- Tracy Pendergast -Gerdau

A desire to learn has always been
important to the Branchton native, who
has considered Cambridge her home
since she and her sister attended school
here.
“I had always aspired to attend university
and thought about a career in law,” she
says, before wavering on that idea in
exchange for studying political sciences
and economics part time. At the time,
Tracy was still showing and competing
with her horse at various events, a busy
past time she had been involved with
since the age of five.

40 Winter 2024 www.cambridgechamber.com