Jean Bye to Retire from Dotson Iron Castings
Foundry industry veteran Jean Bye of Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato, MN, has officially retired as of August 1st, 2021. Bye spent over 45 years with Dotson and served as the company’s CEO from 2010 until 2020 and as the Executive Chair of the board until her retirement. Bye is highly respected for her contributions in promoting the manufacturing and foundry industries at a national level.
In 2018, Bye became the first woman to serve as President of the American Foundry Society (AFS), after serving as an AFS officer and a member of the AFS Directors Class.
In 2019, Bye received the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Award from the Manufacturing Institute. The STEP Ahead Awards honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry.
Bye began her foundry career working at Dotson Iron Castings in the summer during high school. In 2010, she became the 4th president in the company’s 150 year history, taking over for Denny Dotson.
Dotson said, “Jean has transformed our foundry into a world class agile and process driven company. Her ability to see future road bumps has allowed us to navigate the economic challenges while continually investing for future opportunities. She has been a true leader in our industry and we wish her well in her well-deserved retirement.”
She is credited with helping company improve efficiency and quality through numerous process and technology upgrades. She also helped guide the company back to prominence after a significant fire in 2017.
