Her Story
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Persn serves as Procurement Manager at Bemsco Defense Products in Salt Lake City, Utah. With four years in her field, she specializes in supply chain management and procurement for major aerospace OEMs including Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and the DLA. Persn began her career in the gun industry with seven years in sales, followed by work in firearms manufacturing on CNC machines, before joining her current company in aerospace components and advancing to procurement management approximately two years ago. In her role, she procures materials and hardware while achieving notable cost savings of over 300,000 dollars through redesigned workflows and strengthened vendor-supplier relationships. She holds a certificate of CNC mill and lathe and was homeschooled in Alaska. Persn values authentic connections and genuine investment in the people and communities around her, and she is a member of the Wasatch Hiking Club, the Utah Tribal Coalition, and The Well-Armed Woman.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
No one is going to change your life, so stop complaining about what you don't have and go get it. I wrote it and put it on the wall of my office.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You are equal to anyone you may be working with... you have the same level of initiative. Like, you are allowed to show that initiative without being fearful that you are being perceived as a scary woman. You can be kind and forceful at the same time.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Any industry that is supporting aerospace, or the defense industry, or the oil industry is still predominantly going to be male-driven. There's tons of government-issued grants for companies that hire certain percentages of women.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authentic connections between people... being invested in what you're doing... communities are one of the most important things... genuine, authentic investment in the immediate people around you.
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