Chicago Female Chemist Acts As Role Model For Young Girls
CHICAGO (CBS) – One of the nation's leading chemists is mixing things up in Chicago and paving the way for a whole new generation of female entrepreneurs.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole has her story.
Each year a South Side plant mixes up tens of millions of pounds of chemicals that touch our lives daily, and the woman responsible for this successful equation is Linda Boasmond.
"I just love it," said Linda Boasmond, Cedar Concepts. "I like making things. I like mixing things….as a child I took crazy vacations to visit manufacturing plants which probably no one does."
She does not have to travel far now. Starting in her company's labs, Cedar Concepts created the oils and lubricants that help brighten our teeth, keep us clean and eve help manufacture Boeing's jets.
Its state of the art, environmentally conscious facilities on the Southwest Side are the first and only African American owned chemical plant in the nation.
"I just wanted to have a good chemical plant," Boasmond said.
Boasmond grew up on the South Side and was drawn to eventually study chemistry at DePaul at a time when role models for women in the science were few.
"When I was growing up, you didn't have molecular biologists. You didn't have physicist. You didn't have statisticians."
It is why she is also dedicated to the Girls4Science program, matching young students with female mentors in the math and science fields.
"If I don't see and touch those people and hear their personal stories, I don't see that as an achievement I can become," Boasmond said.
Cedar Concepts employs 50 and through often called a trailblazer herself, Boasmond said its only thanks to those around her.
"I like to think they give me a good life," Boasmond said. "They help us achieve the dream. It's a part of being a team. We work together."
Boasmond said her labs are now pioneering environmentally friendly ingredients with oils made from Olives and Avocados. And, for those who might like to volunteer, she also said the Girls4Science program is always looking for female mentors in the STEM fields.
