Future engineers learn about careers at Coty's Sanford facility

Jun. 25—Engineering students from North Carolina State University's Women and Minority Engineering program had the chance last week to learn about careers at Sanford's Coty plant.

Around 150 students toured the plant and heard from some of Coty employees who are NC State graduates.

"We've had a long history with NC State," Plant General Manager Aurélien Hennequin said. "We have a lot of engineers from NC State."

Hennequin shared the history of Coty and it's Sanford history as well. The company has been around since 1904.

"It's a global leader in beauty," he told the students. "Sanford is one of eight plants globally. There are two in the U.S. The plants are spread across seven countries. The Sanford plant has been open since 1971."

After Hennequin shared a slide show and video about the company and the Sanford facility, the students heard from several NC State graduates, who told them of the wide variety of jobs available from those in the engineering field.

The Summer Exploration Experience, or SEE, Camp is a program at NC State where hundreds of newly admitted engineers are invited to participate in what is called a "summer bridge program," where they interact with engineering faculty members, visit industry sites and get an early start on their membership in the engineering family.

They spend a week on campus, make new friends, do exciting engineering activities, eat and maybe even meet someone who will hire them for their first job. Many of the NC State grads at Coty began with internship experiences or summer jobs at the plant.

Coty was founded as a fragrance house in Paris, France by Joseph Marie Fran?ois Spoturno. To launch his new business, he chose a new name — something that would evoke elegance and beauty to consumers around the world.

Inspired by his mother, Marie Adolphine Coti, Fran?ois changed the "i" in her maiden name to a "y."

Coty opened its first international subsidiaries in Moscow, London and New York. Soon, other Coty locations were opened in major cities across Europe, North and South America and Asia. Today, Coty employs more than 18,000 people in 46 countries.