Association of Women in the Metal Industries

What Association of Women in the Metal Industries does

AWMI is a 501C6 non-profit professional membership association founded in 1981 in Oakland, California by Heidi Doran. It serves individuals employed across the metals value chain — mills, manufacturers, fabricators, distributors, service centers, and related engineering, media, and consulting firms — with a primary focus on advancing women in the industry. The organization operates a chapter-based network spanning 19-21 active chapters across five regions (Central, Midwest, Northeast, Southern, Western) in the United States and Canada, supported by an international headquarters in Mt. Royal, New Jersey that is administered by Talley Management Group under an Executive Director. AWMI does not operate a proprietary technology product and relies on third-party association management software for membership processing, event registration, and communications.

The organization's offering portfolio is organized around four cornerstones — Grow, Network, Educate, and Mentor — and includes individual membership tiers (Regular $175/year, Sustaining, Retiree ~$87.50/year, Student ~$44/year), four corporate membership tiers (Platinum $5,000, Gold $3,500, Silver $2,000, Bronze $1,000), the structured AWMI MENTOR Program, chapter-level and international scholarship programs, and an annual international conference. Communication and education services include the Metal Mail e-newsletter and weekly market updates delivered via partner Armada. Education is also reinforced through industry tours and webinars featuring CRU analysts and other metals-market content partners.

AWMI's business model is subscription-driven and event-augmented. Revenue is generated from individual dues, corporate memberships with reduced per-employee rates ranging from $100-$150 depending on tier, conference registrations priced $650-$1,025 with early-bird and member discounts, sponsorships at the annual conference and committees, advertising in Metal Mail, and self-sustaining chapter events such as golf outings and plant tours. New members are acquired through industry trade show exhibits (NASCC: The Steel Conference, SMU Steel Summit, MetalCon), member referrals, and company-sponsored corporate enrollment, with corporate members including Nucor, Cleveland-Cliffs, United States Steel, Novelis, Reliance Steel & Aluminum, Sherwin-Williams, Hydro, Kaiser Aluminum, and Samuel, Son & Co., among others.

Name

Association of Women in the Metal Industries

Legal name

Association of Women in the Metal Industries

Website

https://awmi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) is a 501C6 non-profit professional membership association founded in 1981 that serves 2,000+ individuals in the U.S. and Canada metals industry — spanning mills, fabrication, and distribution — through a chapter-based network delivering mentorship, education, networking, and career development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from individual members (Regular, Sustaining, Retiree, Student categories). Regular membership is $175/year. Membership year runs January 1 to December 31.
2. Corporate Memberships: Tiered corporate membership program with Platinum ($5,000), Gold ($3,500), Silver ($2,000), and Bronze ($1,000) levels. Provides reduced employee dues, promotional benefits, and event registration discounts.
3. Annual Conference Revenue: Conference registration fees generate revenue. Early bird pricing: $650 (member), $750 (regular), $925 (non-member). Corporate group registration available at $2,600-$3,000 for 5 attendees.
4. Sponsorships and Advertising: Sponsorship opportunities at the annual conference and committee sponsorships. Advertising in Metal Mail newsletter and at events.
5. Chapter Event Revenue: Chapter-level events (golf outings, dinners, tours) are designed to be self-sustaining, with chapters subsidizing when needed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AWMI is an international professional membership association that advances women in the metal industries through networking, education, mentorship, and career development. It sells individual memberships (Regular, Sustaining, Retiree, Student) at $175/year and tiered corporate memberships (Platinum $5,000 to Bronze $1,000), and delivers value through an annual international conference, a structured MENTOR Program, scholarship programs, chapter events across 19+ chapters in the US and Canada, and the Metal Mail newsletter with weekly market updates.

Product overview

AWMI is a professional membership association, not a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of membership services organized around its four cornerstones: Grow, Network, Educate, and Mentor. The core offerings include Regular, Sustaining, Retiree, and Student membership types, plus Corporate Membership tiers. Professional development services comprise the AWMI MENTOR Program for structured mentorship and Scholarship Programs at chapter and international levels. Event programming includes the Annual Conference and local chapter events across 21 chapters. Communication services include Metal Mail e-Newsletters and weekly market updates. All products and services are designed to advance women in the metal industries through community, education, and career development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AWMI Regular Membership Annual individual membership at $175/year for women and men employed in metal industries (mills, manufacturers, fabricators, distributors, freight, media, engineering, consultants). Includes voting rights, eligibility for officer/board service, events, networking, mentoring, newsletters, job bank, and conference discounts.
• AWMI Sustaining Membership Annual membership for individuals interested in AWMI advancement at $175/year. Includes all regular membership privileges except eligibility to serve as officer or on Regional/International Board.
• AWMI Retiree Membership Annual membership at approximately $87.50/year (50% of regular dues) for retired individuals with minimum 3 years membership, age 50+, not employed full-time.
• AWMI Student Membership Annual membership at approximately $44/year (25% of regular dues) for full-time students pursuing careers in metal industries. Requires chapter approval.
• AWMI Corporate Membership Program Tiered corporate membership with four levels — Platinum ($5,000/year, unlimited employees at $100 each), Gold ($3,500/year, up to 50 employees), Silver ($2,000/year, up to 25 employees), and Bronze ($1,000/year, up to 10 employees). Benefits include reduced employee dues, newsletter ads, website listings, spotlight articles, job postings, and conference registration discounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Surpassed 2,000 members in 2024 (up from 1,500 in 2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• ISRI (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerCross-promotional partnership with ISRI for mutual benefit. Both organizations promote each other's events and offer advertising opportunities in online and print publications.
• CRU (Commodity Research Unit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRU provides metal market intelligence content for AWMI educational webinars and events. AWMI chapters host CRU analysts for market update presentations.
• MetalConstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerAWMI participates in MetalCon trade show as part of cross-promotional program. First participated in 2010.
• ArmadaminorOthersArmada provides weekly market updates to AWMI members as a membership benefit. Chris Kuehl delivers market intelligence.
• SteelOrbisminorOthersSteelOrbis provides discounted subscription rates for AWMI members. First media sponsor at AWMI Leadership Conference in 2009.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Association for Iron and Steel Technology: AIST is the largest international technical association for the iron and steel industry, serving steel producers, suppliers, and academic professionals. Shares AWMI's core industry focus (steel/metals) and similar member-base composition of industry professionals, though focused on technical/engineering rather than gender-specific advancement.
• Women in Manufacturing: Women in Manufacturing (WiM) is a professional association dedicated to supporting and advancing women in the manufacturing sector, including metals, with education, networking, and recognition programs. Mission and member structure closely parallel AWMI, though WiM addresses all manufacturing rather than metals specifically.
• Society of Women Engineers: SWE is a global professional society advancing women in engineering and technology careers, including metals-related engineering. Similar mission of advancing women in technical/industrial fields with local chapter structure, mentorship programs, and annual conferences.
• National Association of Women in Construction: NAWIC is a professional association advancing women in the construction industry through education, networking, and leadership development. Closely mirrors AWMI's women-in-male-dominated-industry model, chapter-based structure, and corporate partnership model.
• Women in Mining: Women in Mining is an organization dedicated to supporting women in the mining and mineral resources sector through networking, education, and advocacy. Comparable to AWMI in its focus on women in a male-dominated extractive/industrial sector with similar chapter-based structure.

Others

• Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries: ISRI is the trade association representing the scrap recycling industry, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals. AWMI has a formal cross-promotional partnership with ISRI and several shared corporate sponsors (Sims Metal, Harsco), making ISRI a complementary ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• American Iron and Steel Institute: AISI is the trade association for North American steel producers, representing integrated and electric arc furnace steelmakers including U.S. Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs, and Nucor. Many of AISI's member companies are also AWMI Platinum corporate members, creating a sponsor-overlap ecosystem.
• Metal Service Center Institute: MSCI is the trade association for the metals service center industry, representing metal distributors and processors. Overlaps significantly with AWMI's corporate member base (Ryerson, Reliance, Russel Metals, Samuel) and serves the same metals value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awmi-carolinas-chapter
• Instagraminstagram.com/awmimidatlanticchapter
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association of Women in the Metal Industries