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The Domino Sugar Factory has been a staple in the city of Baltimore and for the first time in its 99-year history, a Black woman will sit at its helm. According to The Baltimore Sun, Coricka White was appointed to serve as the refinery’s manager.

For decades, the factory’s iconic neon sign that adorns Baltimore’s Inner Harbor has been synonymous with the city’s industrial history. The refinery is the second-largest sugar factory in the United States and the last remaining sugar production facility in Baltimore. Nearly 6.5 million pounds of sugar is processed there daily. For White—a University of Virginia alum who earned a master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology—her connection to the company runs deep. She started working there as an engineer nearly two decades ago and has served in several senior leadership roles throughout her career. In her new position, she is responsible for managing $20 million installations of refined sugar silos which equates to nearly 14 million pounds of storing capacity.

White says she wants her historic appointment to inspire others to follow their dreams and confidently step into spaces where they are underrepresented. “I’m looking at myself as being a trailblazer and hope that I can pave the way for folks like myself to follow,” she said in a statement, according to the news outlet. “I definitely stand on the shoulders of some very strong folks here, and I’d like to think of my success as the success of the Domino family. It speaks to how progressive our organization is. I’m proud to say yes, and happy to be the first—but I definitely don’t want to be the last.”

Her appointment comes at a time when there is a major need for diversity within the food manufacturing industry.

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