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September 25, 2025
How Shari Werwinski is Leading a Team That Wins Every Day
Shari Werwinski, Trane Technologies’ first female plant leader at La Crosse, Wisconsin, is building world-class chillers and a legacy of leadership, positivity and purpose.
Shari Werwinski is Trane Technologies’ first female plant leader in La Crosse, Wisconsin – and she’s building something far bigger than world-class chillers. She’s building a legacy of leadership, grit and mentorship. With nearly three decades at the company, her journey is a prime example of what’s possible for anyone in a manufacturing career.
My name is Shari Werwinski, and I am the plant leader for the plant here in La Crosse, Wisconsin. When I explain my role to my friends and family, I tell them that I work for the best company that builds the best chillers in the market, and I am the plant leader who builds those chillers and leads that team every single day. What gets me up is having the opportunity to work on the floor and be with the team and set them up for success. Even after 27 years, I keep learning and growing and developing. And I've had the fortunate opportunity to have really good leaders in my journey. In fact, one leader got promoted to a senior executive role, and he's like “Shari, you know, I don't care about a title. Check it out the door. I come to work to win every single day. That's it.” To have somebody of that level tell me they just come to work to win every day. And I use that every day. I come to work to win every day. And I tell my team that. I promise you, we're still winning. Trane's been around for 112 years. It's my job, and our job as leaders, to develop this team and keep them growing so Trane’s around for the next 112 years. Because that's the organization, that's who we are.
Finding purpose on the Trane Technologies factory floor
I lead the plant that builds the best chillers on the market. I get to set my team up for success every single day… and it’s the best job I’ve ever had.
Shari Werwinski
Plant Manager, Trane Technologies, La Crosse Wisconsin
This is how Shari explains her role at Trane Technologies to friends and family. After beginning her career in finance, she steadily worked her way up into a leadership role. But it wasn’t until she stepped into a rapid improvement event on the factory floor that her true calling emerged. “I absolutely loved it. I loved being part of the team. I loved engaging with the hourly technicians and seeing product go down the factory floor,” she says. “I wanted to be part of that.”
And she made it happen, first as plant controller, and now as the plant leader guiding her team through one of the most exciting chapters in La Crosse’s history.
Meeting unprecedented demand through scalability and sustainability
When Shari took the reins, the La Crosse plant was facing an extraordinary opportunity: unprecedented customer demand for large-capacity chillers. Meeting that demand meant scaling quickly, efficiently and sustainably. The team built a new chiller manufacturing line within 18 months and stands ready to further expand capacity as needed to support business growth. These machines aren’t just any chillers; they’re part of Trane’s innovative heat recovery technology that offers both heating and cooling in one system. This helps customers reduce emissions further, potentially eliminating the need for separate boilers altogether.
"We’re helping our customers meet their sustainability goals. That’s what they want, and that’s what we’re delivering.”
How Trane Technologies’ cross-functional teams build innovation into every chiller
The success of this growth was a full-team effort, from product managers gathering customer insights, to engineers turning those insights into world-class designs, to Shari’s operations team bringing those designs to life.
“We know to start with ‘What does the customer want?’ Then, ‘How do we make it a reality for them?’” says Shari proudly. “A lot of customers come to Trane Technologies with requests that nobody else can do. And we can do it because we’re the best in the business, and we have the team that can make it happen.”
Plant Leader Shari Werwinski believes that behind every world-class chiller is a team led with purpose.
The winning mindset that drives manufacturing leadership
This spirit of collaboration, positivity and customer centricity doesn’t stop at the factory floor. In fact, it’s embedded in how Shari shows up as a leader each and every day, something she learned from her own mentors. “I like to work hard. And I’ve been lucky to learn from great leaders, including one who told me, ‘Shari, I don't care about a title. Check it at the door. I come to work to win every single day. That's it.’ I hold that statement with me every morning when I walk through the door. And I tell it to my team, too. Even on the bad days, we’re still winning.”
I come to work to win every single day.
Why mentorship is central to leadership at Trane Technologies
Part of the winning culture Shari is building has to do with her consistent thirst for knowledge and growth - and her drive to pass that on to others. “I love that, at Trane Technologies, I learn something new every single day. Even after 27 years, I keep learning and growing and developing. I've been fortunate to have great leaders on my journey, and I want to pay that forward to people who want to be leaders and grow with the organization.”
That’s why Shari began mentoring through both formal leadership programs and one-on-one support. “Trane has been around 112 years. It’s my job as a leader to develop our teams and keep them growing so we can be around for another 112.”
Looking for a place where leadership, learning and innovation go hand in hand? Trane Technologies is hiring!
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