Caroline Kauffman-Kirschnick

General Manager

Electric Motor Repair Company

As the daughter of the president and CEO of EMR, a commercial and industrial equipment service company, Caroline Kauffman-Kirschnick knew she had to prove herself as much as or even more than other employees.

In her 13 years with EMR, the York College graduate has done so, working her way up the corporate ladder with what she calls an “employee-centric approach” to management. “We take care of each team member like they are family,” she said.

Headquartered in Baltimore, EMR has some 200 employees. Kauffman-Kirschnick started in accounts receivable in 2003 and, after serving in a variety of positions, was named general manager in June 2015. She is slated to replace her father, Roger Kauffman, as president of the 85-year-old family-owned business in 2018.

“It was important for me to make a name for myself and be recognized in my own accomplishments due to my strong work ethic, not because of my last name,” she said. “Becoming general manager and the future president was never a guarantee.”

The mother of a four-year-old, Kauffman-Kirschnick said she is proud of her growth in a “male-dominated industry” and as “a working mother with strong ethics and values behind everything I do.”