Have you ever had to go under anesthesia for surgery? Most people will agree that going under the knife is a stressful experience, because the use of anesthesia carries some risk. However, most people accept those risks because the surgery they need can be life-saving. For Angie Hellstern at Molecular Products, saving lives is a major part of her job – but you won’t find her in the operating room.
Angie oversees a manufacturing team at the Louisville, CO manufacturing location of Molecular Products. Molecular Products makes life-saving devices for a variety of applications, mostly within the medical and defense fields. The products they manufacture help filter out things like ammonia gas and CO2. Each year Molecular Products supplies pre-filled cartridges that remove carbon dioxide during anesthesia, and their military grade carbon is used for personal protection in industrial, defense, and nuclear applications.
When it is used in the medical field, their carbon absorber also allows doctors and nurses to recirculate anesthesia for the duration of any surgical operation.
“Our CO2 absorber scrubs out the CO2 gasses so both patients and doctors are safe during the surgery,” Angie shares. “It has allowed for significant cost savings in surgery, because patients can be under anesthesia for a longer amount of time on the same canister without a buildup of CO2 in the closed loop anesthesia system.”
Molecular Products also makes carbon that helps protect members of our armed forces.
“Our carbons are used in a variety of unique applications, including respiratory protection equipment for industrial environments, clean room filtration, home air filters, and even in space flight! An emerging product is our military-grade carbon,” Angie says. “It’s designed to be incorporated into respiratory filters that provide protection for members of our armed forces when defending against chemical attacks.
Employees at the Louisville location work in warehousing, chemical production, and assembly of CO2 absorption and carbon-based products.
“We work with industry leaders in safety equipment to develop new products all the time, so that they can redesign their respirators,” she says. “We have built a world class laboratory to develop and test our products from lab scale to production quantities, which is usually around 2 pounds in size all the way up to several tons!”
Angie has over 10 years of experience in the industry and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado. This has not only allowed her to live out her passion for science, but also helped her become a strong manager and trusted leader for her employees. Her partnership with Employment Solutions allows her to focus on taking care of her employees by offering great compensation and keeping them safe and engaged while supporting their growth and development at the company.
“I’ve had great success with Employment Solutions. The team in Longmont has done a good job and is super responsive. Employment Solutions facilitates a win-win situation for both Molecular Products and the employee, as it enables both parties to work together for an initial trial period,” Angie shares.
Employment Solutions connects Angie to the best talent: “Unemployment is at about 2 percent in Boulder County and getting people to want to work in manufacturing is really hard. I did a lot of research on what’s going on within the manufacturing climate. We want to hire the best, while offering good competitive wages,” she explains.
It’s no surprise that Angie is so dedicated to her employees. Molecular Products’ core values include integrity, respect, pride, and community – all values that are also important to Angie within her role and beyond.
“The value that resonates most with me is integrity,” she says. “If I don’t have integrity, I’m potentially putting someone’s life in danger. Our integrity shows in our quality, manufacturing, and safety practices.”
Angie also feels that these values run all the way through to the highest levels of the company.
“Our CEO will walk through and introduce himself to everyone; he gets to know employees’ names. He started his career here, right out of college in the lab, and worked his way up. Now he oversees the whole group globally. He’s been here more than 20 years.”
As technology progresses and the hiring landscape in manufacturing continues to change, Angie hopes that she can continue to support her employees and attract top talent by offering employees room to grow in their career. Angie supports her team’s development by encouraging them to upskill through training courses, allowing them to cross train in different departments, and fostering a company culture built on trust.
“We do weekly recognition with the team, and we talk about problems and keep an open dialog. Our team trusts us as leaders to have their best interests at heart.”
“I want my production folks to want to be here,” Angie says. “I am an advocate for the employees. We have a casual culture, and there is nothing that I or my fellow managers will ask the employees to do that we will not do ourselves. It is manufacturing so we work hard, but we like to have fun, too.”
As for the future of Molecular Products, Angie will continue to support a culture built on strong company values, while ensuring that their products maintain the highest quality standards to save lives.
“We want to keep people safe when it comes to going into unstable areas. Keeping our troops, surgery patients, and medical staff safe is our #1 priority,” she explains. “We want people to work here who want to be part of the solution.”
This article appears in the latest version of our Industrial Labor Insights Magazine. You can view the full issue here. Are you a business owner looking to hire top talent? Fill out our contact form and one of our Sales Representatives will be in touch with you shortly!