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April 7, 2025
FOND DU LAC – Mercury Marine’s director of human resources-global operations was recently named one of just 130 winners of the 2025 Women MAKE Awards, an award that recognizes women who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in their careers.
Mel Bruins, who has spent much of her adult life working in HR – serving in her current role at Mercury Marine since 2021 – was presented the award by the Manufacturing Institute (MI), the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers.
According to MI’s website (themanufacturinginstitute.org), as an integral part of its women’s initiative, the Women MAKE Awards (formerly known as the STEP Ahead Awards) have “made a profound difference in reducing the gender gap in manufacturing.”
To date, the MI has honored more than 1,000 women who have had and are having a positive impact on their companies and communities.
Winning an award
Bruins said she was honored and surprised to be recognized, especially since she had no idea she was even getting submitted for the award in the first place.
Brunswick Corporation – the parent company to Mercury Marine – she said, has more than 16,000 employees, so for her to even be selected was “truly unimaginable.”
“As a woman in our workforce, and specifically supporting our manufacturing functions, it was really exciting,” she said.
Bruins said for her, receiving the award provided her with an opportunity to reflect and realize the things she’s been doing are seen, appreciated and valued by the organization.
“It says a lot to me about how in-tune our leaders are here to the effort their team members are making,” she said. “To know that if people are making an impact, they’re willing to share those stories.”
As a 2025 Women MAKE Awards recipient, Bruins said she will have an opportunity to attend the awards gala later this month in Washington, D.C.
In addition to the awards ceremony, Bruins said she will take part in a conference focused on professional acumen, growing leadership and networking with other award winners.
“It’s going to be a really excellent opportunity to not only continue to build tools and skills in my toolbox,” she said, “(but) also be a great way to connect with others who are doing a variety of different things and see if there’s anything we can continue to learn and bring back to our respective organizations.”
HR is a passion
Bruins – who earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Winona State University and an MBA in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh – said she is truly passionate about HR and knows that having a passion for one’s work is key.
“We spend so much at work that I think it’s really important to love what you do,” she said. “For me, I get a lot of energy from being around others who also really feel that, and have that level of commitment and drive.”
Bruins said she first started with Mercury Marine right out of college – working first as an intern.
After working at Mercury for about four years, she said she left to explore other opportunities but came back 11 years later.
Though she gained useful experience and knowledge during her years away, Bruins said Mercury’s culture always resonated with her.
“It was the place where I felt most at home,” she said. “It had a lot of those key things about culture: who we are as a company, what we’re about (and) the types of people who worked there were successful.”
Bruins said she appreciates being around a group of people who are always looking for best practices and striving to do things better.
The team at Mercury Marine, she said, works together, cheers each other on and celebrates each others’ successes – all while not being afraid to dig in and do the hard work.
Though there was an 11-year gap between her time at Mercury, Bruins said the same culture is present.
She said Mercury Marine is the place she can be, do some “really good work” and be around people who have similar mindsets, are passionate and supportive to deliver great results.
Bruins said she was drawn to HR because she knew it was going to be different every day.
Balancing numerous thought processes and work approaches, she said, brings a lot of variety to the profession.
Much of her job today, Bruins said, is about balancing how she and others can connect with the workforce, while, at the same time, creating materials and information in a way that “50 people in a room can all understand.”
Embracing women in manufacturing
Though manufacturing has typically been seen as a male-dominated industry, Bruins said Mercury has done a lot of work as a company to continue to build environments that are supportive of women.
This, she said, has included adding tools and ergonomic elements for operators on the floor, but then also focusing on roles like HR and engineering.
Overall, Bruins said there are a lot of emphasis and effort placed on making sure that the Mercury work environment is one that everyone will enjoy working in.
Part of the nomination process for the Women MAKE Awards, she said, focuses on how women help women in the workforce.
Bruins said her work with Women on Water – an employee resource group that celebrates women in the maritime industry – helps “support and drive engagement with our women workforce, (as well as) build skills and connections within the industry.”
“The fact that I’ve been involved with that – and am working with the team locally here at Mercury and at Brunswick to make that a priority for us – supported my award nomination,” she said.
It’s more than a job
Bruins said how people do their work matters.
She said there’s a lot of energy, time and passion built into how one thinks about themselves and what they’re delivering for the business.
“One of the things I like about the kind of way we work here is that Mercury encourages you to be your authentic self, and bring your ideas and solutions,” she said. “The more diversity in thought, the more we can build into really thinking about how we work together. That matters and helps us continue to be an industry leader.”
Bruins said helping people, and showing them they do make a difference, has an impact on the business daily.
She said she knows employees can “do a job and collect a paycheck” anywhere, however, she focuses on helping employees understand the value they’re creating and the impact they’re having on a day-to-day basis.
Bruins said she’s seen this lead to positive mindset shifts and opening doors.
“When we can open those doors and have that level of clarity around what we do every day, that connection really matters,” she said. “When I think about what I’m bringing to the business, I want to create a work environment where people can show up and feel that. I think that has meaningful staying power with your workforce allowing you to build a legacy.”
Bruins said for her, building a legacy means setting the team up for success, challenging the status quo and the way things have always been done.
She said she thinks about her own role in HR and asks herself what things she can do that balance both employee needs and helps the business deliver.
“For me, it’s trying to always come at situations and processes and really look at them with fresh eyes and help build a team of people who are willing to do that, too,” Bruins said. “I want to find and encourage those people who have an insatiable drive for continuing to advance our function, so we can continue to be strategic partners.”
An impact moving forward
Bruins said she sees this award as a chance to continue to support, advocate and connect with others using her role at Mercury Marine.
She said she thinks there’s a level of visibility, and a bit of hope, that people will feel encouraged to get involved with some of the work she’s supporting, or project teams she’s on that are making a difference in how Mercury structures and supports team members.
Bruins said the 2025 Women MAKE Awards program also provides an opportunity for those outside the industry to ask why manufacturing is a good industry to be in, and for her to be an advocate for the industry in a way that she was not able to be before.
“Manufacturing is such a core industry that we have from a business perspective in the state,” she said. “We can continue to educate people that this is a strong industry to be in, that it’s really meaningful and impactful work. I know, but now I can show this is a great company to work for.”
Bruins said she looks at the future with women in the industry in a very positive light, supported by the “incredible” group of allies and people who have supported her.
“When you work for the right organization, and you’ve got the right leaders in place who take the time to recognize, appreciate and celebrate the hard work you’re doing, that continues to open doors and the right paths for you to be successful and make meaningful contributions,” she said.
