People & Culture

Arthrex Manufacturing Inc. East (AMIE) recently hosted its first Manufacturing Day event, inviting 64 Southwest Florida students to tour the Ave Maria facility and learn more about the career opportunities available at Arthrex.

“The event was designed to introduce high school students and adult learners to jobs within Arthrex Manufacturing, many of which don’t require a college degree,” said Corporate Engagement Manager Meg Hardt.

Attendees learned about Arthrex benefits, including company-provided medical insurance, onsite medical facilities, wellness programs, transportation stipends, the Trip of a Lifetime benefit and tuition reimbursement. They also explored career development opportunities, including the Arthrex Maintenance Tech Trainee Program, a two-and-a-half-year, self-paced program designed to build technical expertise. Students were shown examples of career advancement pathways and heard stories of employees who progressed from entry-level positions into leadership roles.

“We are very proud of our ability to develop our people,” said Senior Manager of Operations Ryan DeCaprio, who spoke about the different components of Arthrex’s Suture department and shared examples of employees being promoted from entry-level positions to engineers and supervisors.

Plant tours included stops highlighting nearly all major manufacturing areas, including CNC Swiss lathes, CNC milling, molding, laser marking, finishing, cleaning, packaging and a glimpse into clean room assembly.

“Almost every operations department here at AMIE has available positions,” said Production Planning Manager Tyler Fawcett. “There are a ton of job opportunities and a lot of opportunities to move upward through our operations teams.”

Routinely named among the Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production™ by Great Place To Work® and Fortune, Arthrex highlighted its mission, Helping Surgeons Treat Their Patients Better®, throughout the event.

“We do meaningful work here,” said Talent Acquisition Supervisor Tracey Sanders Barnes. “The products we make help more than 20 million people a year.”

Lourdes Ochoa, Workforce Education Advisor with Collier Adult Education at Lorenzo Walker Technical College, expressed her appreciation for opportunities like Manufacturing Day and Arthrex’s annual Career Showcase.

“Our students don’t know what they don’t know,” she said. “They don’t always know about the opportunities available to them. Events like this provide an opportunity to see new possibilities.”

Lely High School teacher Justin Lang attended with six students enrolled in the school’s Academy of Engineering.

“I truly feel this was a valuable day for the students who attended, showing them career options they maybe hadn’t thought of,” he said. “I look forward to being able to share this experience with more students in the future.”