In 1949, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a leading medical technology company, located in Nebraska opened its doors for business.
On October 23, 2018 – nearly 70 years later – the company announced its continued investment in Nebraska – another $200 million in its manufacturing facilities, creating hundreds more jobs statewide.
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts applauded the investment in a BD news release. “With more than 300, diverse job openings across BD facilities in Columbus, Holdrege and Broken Bow, there are many tremendous career opportunities for Nebraska’s skilled workforce,” he said.
BD will invest $100 million in its Columbus location and $40 million in its Holdrege facility, upgrading equipment, facilities, and infrastructure. Similar improvements will be made in the company’s Broken Bow location, as well. This financial commitment brings the company’s total investment to its business operations to more than $340 over the past two years.
BD’s expansion brings 300 new jobs and opportunities for Veterans
Sixty percent of the 300 additional jobs are planned for Columbus, with the remaining balance spread out throughout the company’s other Nebraska locations.
BD participates in the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a program funded through the state which actively recruits veterans for open positions. The program protects jobs for Reserves and National Guard troops called for duty to serve the country.
“It’s an avenue [the program] for us to generate great talent,” said Jim Borzi, executive vice president and chief supply chain officer of BD. “BD’s support of the veterans and veteran hiring has always been something we are very proud of. It’s something we take great pride in doing and then in return, we get people with great talents.”
BD partners with Nebraska’s Department of Economic Development, Department of Labor, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Nebraska National Guard, along with local and regional education partners, to facilitate the hiring of skilled workers who often require a 2-year advanced degree. Nebraska’s Department of Transportation is also assisting BD through transportation infrastructure upgrades around its facilities.
BD currently employs 65,000 people committed to advancing medical technologies. BD’s products enable laboratory scientists to better diagnose disease and advance researchers and help develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics.
The Columbus BD facility is served by Loup Power District, and the Holdrege facility is served by the City of Holdrege at wholesale, with its power supplier, the Nebraska Public Power District.