Brittany Arko
We are the manufacturers of possible: Celebrating More than 20 Years with BD in Sandy
Brittany Arko has had an interesting career journey at BD. She started as a contractor working in the cafeteria of the Sandy, Utah site in 2002. From there she joined the organization as a full-time machine operator and then made several moves within the plant over the course of two decades leading to her current role as a Production Planning Buyer.
“I’m the raw material buyer for the plant for chemicals and resins that are then used to manufacture our catheters and IVs,” said Brittany. “I’ve seen so many renovations and additions to the site. It used to be a pharmaceutical company and then BD acquired it in 1986 so I’ve seen many renovations, additions, and everything in between. It’s just a big, beautiful clean site to work at.”
On the path to electrician originally
Brittany explains that prior to joining BD, she and her husband were both in the construction trade. She was working on becoming an electrician, but then became pregnant with her son and decided another career path would be better to support her growing family.
“My sister-in-law worked in the cafeteria at the time, and my husband and I thought it may be challenging for both of us to be in the trades while starting a family,” said Brittany. “I’ve never looked back at my decision. The pay is competitive and I get the support and flexibility to perform my job, which makes me happy.
”Brittany admits it was not always easy to work on the line due to scheduling, but by staying committed, learning, and growing – her decision to remain with BD has paid off in the long run. “It can be challenging but if you stick with it and spend time educating yourself and seeing what other roles that interest you, there are many options within a BD manufacturing site.”