Of woman, energy and entrepreneurship: The Karen Buchwald Wright story

Human beings learn through books, experiences, formal education or, most often, a combination of all three.

Leaders and managers frequently cite business giants and great writers like Dale Carnegie, Jack Welch, and Jim Collins as influential guides. Even literary figures like C.S. Lewis, who held appointments at both Oxford and Cambridge and wrote classics such as Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia, have offered timeless wisdom on how to be a better doer, manager, and leader. In the film Shadowlands, Lewis (played by Anthony Hopkins) is quoted as saying, “Experience is a brutal teacher. But you learn, by God you learn.”

Experience has certainly shaped the leadership of Karen Buchwald Wright, the dynamic leader and until recently, CEO and Chairman of the Ariel Corporation. The Ariel Corporation, founded in 1966 by her father, is the world’s leading manufacturer of natural gas compressors and the largest employer in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Her life and leadership journey reflect the kind of hard-earned wisdom that transcends gender stereotypes and deserves serious attention in the energy sector and beyond.

An Unlikely CEO in a Male-Dominated Industry

Ariel Corporation is a highly technical, engineering-driven manufacturing firm operating in the heart of the energy industry, a space dominated by men. And yet, under Buchwald Wright’s leadership and recently that of her son Alex, Ariel has thrived. With more than 70,000 high-end compressors produced and distributed to over 100 countries, the company has become the global leader in natural gas compression technology, while competing against compressors produced by Atlas Copco, General Electric, Ingersoll Rand and Siemens.  Ariel compressors are used in drilling and distributing natural gas to homes and businesses throughout the United States and around the world.

The company’s reach and reputation have expanded dramatically with the support of 1,500 dedicated employees, the vast majority of whom are based in Mount Vernon. Karen has helped make Ariel synonymous with high-performance, American-made equipment that powers one of the world’s most important energy sources.

In my many interviews with her, she told me she was a successful manager and leader because she was a housewife and a mother, not in spite of it. Buchwald Wright attributes her leadership skills to her life’s diverse experiences: growing up in a family business, studying at St. Olaf College, early career roles in Minneapolis, and raising four children while managing a household. Her experiences have given her skills she believes are superior to many academic and industry-based management training programs. Rather than viewing motherhood as an obstacle to her career, she believes it sharpened her time management, adaptability, and ability to lead in complex environments.

From mastering complex time management to dealing with conflicting demands at home and work, Buchwald Wright argues that women, especially those who have run households, are often uniquely equipped to lead.

Awards, Recognition, and Impact

Karen’s achievements have garnered national recognition. In 2016, The Heritage Foundation honored her with the George Washington Generations Yet Unborn Award for her contributions to public policy and energy innovation. Michelle Oddis Cordero of Heritage noted, “By providing the equipment necessary for tapping into America’s vast natural gas reserves, Wright is ensuring that future generations will have access to abundant, affordable energy and a vibrant economy.”

The Competitive Enterprise Institute also praised Wright’s leadership, emphasizing both Ariel’s technical contributions and her vocal support for free markets and limited government, cornerstones of energy sector prosperity. In addition to numerous state and national industry awards, she has served on prestigious boards such as the American Petroleum Institute, where she was often one of the only women in leadership.

Through her foundation and philanthropy, Karen has contributed over $200 million to colleges and universities, think tanks, churches, municipalities, cancer research, and historical preservation efforts, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon and her own hometown.

Research Confirms What Experience Taught Her

Women, Buchwald Wright argues, often bring distinct advantages to executive roles, particularly those who’ve balanced the demands of home and work life. In her view, women who’ve been caregivers often juggle more variables, adapt more quickly, and empathize more deeply with their teams.

Wright’s instincts about the value of women’s leadership are increasingly backed by research. In a July 2024 article for the American Psychological Association titled Women Leaders Make Work Better: Here’s the Science behind How to Promote Them, Amy Novotney summarized findings that align with Buchwald Wright’s approach. While researchers stop short of saying women are universally “better” leaders, studies show that they often excel in specific leadership behaviors that enhance organizational performance.

These qualities include:

Collaborative and Inclusive Leadership:

Women tend to favor democratic, participative management styles that foster collaboration, consensus-building, and team cohesion. These qualities enhance employee engagement and create more inclusive work environments.

High Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Skills

Studies show women leaders are often more attuned to their teams’ emotional and psychological needs, leading to better support structures, morale, and workplace culture.

Focus on Long-Term Goals:

Female executives are more likely to prioritize sustainable growth and long-term value creation over short-term profits—an essential trait in the cyclical and capital-intensive energy industry.

Resilience and Adaptability:

Navigating the competing demands of work and family life often equips women with exceptional problem-solving skills and the resilience to face volatility—qualities essential for leadership in today’s unpredictable global economy.

Innovation and Risk-Taking:

Research also indicates that women in leadership score higher in innovation and initiative, helping organizations drive new ideas, products, and processes forward.

Of course, not every woman embodies every one of these attributes, and men can possess them too. But the research supports a broader truth: organizations with more women in leadership often outperform their peers in areas like employee satisfaction, innovation, and long-term profitability.

A Model Worth Emulating

Karen Buchwald Wright is a textbook case of leadership in action.

In an era where energy policy is at the center of economic, environmental, and geopolitical discussions, leaders like Buchwald Wright deserve close attention. Her story isn’t simply one of female achievement, it’s a business case study in how diverse experiences and inclusive leadership deliver world-class results. Boards of directors and C-suites must revisit what leadership really looks like. Too often, traditional models of command-and-control management overlook the softer skills that drive culture, employee engagement, and long-term strategic clarity—traits that many women leaders possess in abundance.

Energy companies (and business leaders across industries) would do well to benchmark against Ariel Corporation. They may find that opening more doors to women like Buchwald Wright is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.

Lastly, as Jim Collins notes in his international best seller Good to Great (2001), very few good corporations become great corporations, and of the few great ones he mentions in his book, 91% groomed and hired their future leaders from within…just like the Ariel Corporation.

Perhaps after studying this tribute to Karen Buchwald Wright, millions of Americans and business leaders in general, will simultaneously look at the role of a traditional housewife in a more favorable light.  Hopefully housewives themselves, will think a little differently as their home warms in the middle of a cold winter at the click of a thermostat, as their laundry is being dried in a natural gas-powered dryer, as they cook dinner on a stove fueled by natural gas, while they ask their children to set the dining room table for dinner.  Two things might very well be happening simultaneously – their home could be benefitting from a natural gas network powered by an Ariel compressor, while the housewife is gaining invaluable experience for the business she may well lead in the future.

I say it’s high time we encourage both!