Why did you join BTD?

I joined BTD for many reasons. If you have stepped into BTD before, you have heard of the immense amount of opportunities for growth that are given. You can ask almost anyone in a leadership position and it is almost a given that they have held multiple titles previous to the one they have and have learned so much along the way. That was exciting to me and something I wanted to be a part of! 

What did you know about manufacturing and/or BTD prior to starting to work here?

Almost nothing. Previous to coming to BTD I worked a desk job as a recruiter so I had been in a few manufacturing environments and received tours but that was the extent of it. I had never worked in one myself at any capacity. The opportunity and challenge of learning a new environment, industry and team excited me. 

How have you navigated the career pathing at BTD?  Or, how has your career evolved? 

As I previously stated, when I came into BTD, I knew almost nothing about manufacturing or BTD at all—I especially didn’t know anything about powder coating. I began to learn each section of the paint line and absorbed as much information as I could. After five months, I was promoted to a paint line shift lead and began to learn the responsibilities that came with that. I have been fortunate enough to dabble in other departments such as Assembly & Lasers so I could learn a little more about how things work shop-wide. 

Currently, I have been given the opportunity to learn more about our Learning & Development part of the business and have discovered a passion for welcoming and leading others in a new way. I hope to continue to grow with BTD and make a long career here. 

How did you take advantage of training opportunities at BTD?

Just asking! I’ve had numerous conversations with Learning & Development, my manufacturing leader and manager, and even Human Resources about what I need to learn about BTD to grow and how to get there. From there, the training opportunities were given. My manufacturing leader, Taylor Western, has also done an excellent job at scheduling monthly training for us so we can continue to grow, and she’s always willing to teach when we want to learn something new. 

Why should others want to apply to work at BTD?  Also, what advice do you have for them?

You are not your employee number at BTD. My leaders, managers, director of operations, quality, COO and even the president know me as Taylor. I have never felt disposable or replaceable at BTD. From day one you are trained by a real person and not a computer screen. The opportunities to learn and grow not only as an employee but as a person, are endless. 

Ask lots of questions, show up every day on time and work hard. And get a comfortable pair of safety toes…you’re going to need them.