CityView Magazine

Fayetteville, she’s probably had a hand in it and sometimes on it. Smith is an engineer responsible for quality control. That’s quite a task considering this place produces roughly 30,000 tires on a peak day. And she hopes that, eventually, ev- A ery single one of them will wind up on someone’s sedan or SUV. Zero waste? Smith says it’s possible. She’s come a long way for someone who, just a few years ago, couldn’t tell the difference between a tire fit for tour- ing or all terrain. Smith earned her in- dustrial engineering degree from Geor- gia Tech University in her hometown of Atlanta and knew that she wanted to work in manufacturing. But tires? “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she says, describing her initial reaction. “It’s definitely not glamorous.” There are several young engineers at Goodyear, but Smith is the only wom- an among them. Then again, she was outnumbered in college, too. For any man who tells her that she got her job because she’s a girl, the guys told her the same thing about her acceptance to engineering school. “I don’t feel like I have to prove my- self,” she says. “I think people’s percep- tions will change over time.” Smith has had her own perceptions changed – of Fayetteville. After Atlanta, Fayetteville felt like a small town. But she bought a house, joined Fayetteville Christian Church and became a fan of Fourth Fridays downtown. Goodyear offers the possibility for travel – the company has plants across the United States and Europe with headquarters in Luxembourg. Smith says she would one day love to try out a new city or a new country, perhaps. But this is the city that gave Smith her first job out of college. For now, at least, those (Goodyear) wheels are parked in Fayetteville.CV Engineer Jennifer Smith Engineer CityViewNC.com | 41 t Jennifer Smith’s job, the rubber really does hit the road. For every tire that rolls out of the Good- year plant in North

• Cover