Careers

My Orenco Story

Jim Healy, Eastern Regional Sales Manager

Behind every great solution is a team that works together to make it happen. As Eastern Regional Sales Manager, Jim Healy leads a dedicated group at Orenco, solving customer challenges with innovative onsite systems and building partnerships that last. Together, they ensure every solution is reliable, effective, and tailored to meet customer needs — delivering success from installation to long-term performance.

My Orenco Story

Sarah Lotfikatouli, Engineer

Less than 20% of engineers are women. Sarah Lotfikatouli, PhD, post-sales engineer at Orenco Systems, is one of them. “The part of my job I value most is knowing that my work contributes to protecting the environment,” she says. “Every day, I get to play a role in improving water quality, which directly impacts our communities and ecosystems. It’s rewarding to know that my work helps to protect an important resource for future generations.” 
 
She credits several women engineer role models – including sisters Lina and Mahsa, also her PhD advisor Dr. Xinwei Mao – for guidance and strength to face trials directly. “Engineering needs more women,” Sarah says. “Don’t let biases hold you back – your ideas matter. Find good mentors, keep learning, and trust that your work can make a difference. With dedication and confidence, any dream is possible. Believe in yourself – you’ve got this!”

My Orenco Story

Catherine Kirkland, Sales Engineer

“Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Catherine Kirkland, regional sales engineer at Orenco Systems, loves to help people solve water and wastewater management problems. A recent project took her to Ohio, where she met with property owners who described an issue plaguing the area. Heavy rain events were causing flooding, tank spillage, and overflow of untreated sewage. “The neighbors had wastewater overflowing into their yard,” Catherine adds.

She went right to work helping the residents find the best solution (which wound up being Prelos Sewer®). Problem solving like this is her favorite part of her job. “I really feeling like I’m making a positive impact on the environment,” she says. “My whole life/career, I’ve been looking for a company like this. I finally found it. And that is why I come to work every day.” 

My Orenco Story

Jerry VanAuker, Area Sales Manager

My degrees are in mechanical engineering technology and marketing, and my work experience had been with pumps and rotating equipment. When I applied at Orenco, I’d been working in field sales and sales management for many years. Orenco offered the opportunity to expand into wastewater treatment.

One thing I really like is that Orenco’s not an “operating unit” of a larger corporation. The people who own the company are engaged daily in the business, with direct knowledge of the industry. Also, Orenco’s not driven exclusively by sales. The culture here is more centered on providing the customer the best we have to offer. Sales happen when the customer is served properly. As a result, I, as a sales employee, am not subject to suffering the pressure to do whatever it takes to close a sale. Instead, I have satisfied customers returning to me for help in providing products and services on new projects.