Employee Spotlight: Karen Sweeney

If you hear the words “Manufacturing rocks!”, Karen Sweeney can’t be far away. The Cincinnati-native has been with AtriCure for eight years — since before the company spun off from Enable Medical Corporation.

As the Production Supervisor, Karen has years of experience to look back on. Prior to joining Enable, she worked in manufacturing at Ethicon for two years. At Enable (and then AtriCure) Karen began as a production associate and worked her way up to materials control/shipping and receiving and buyer, group leader, and then to supervisor. However, if you ask Karen when she officially became a supervisor, she’ll tell you that she’s always served in that role, regardless of her title.

What Karen loves most about her job is being able to work with fantastic people every day. “The people hired in manufacturing make my job easy because they’re so good and so honest.” She credits the great manufacturing atmosphere to Mike and Sue Hooven. “This is the environment that Mike and Sue allowed Jerry Patton to put in place from the start, and it’s the environment that AtriCure continues to foster. My hat goes off to both Mike and Sue.”

Karen also credits Jerry, her boss, for where she is today. “A lot of what I know is because of what Jerry has taught me – he showed me how to be a good supervisor. He always has an answer to my questions and he’s always able to help. If I ever have a difficult decision to make, I ask myself what Jerry would do.”

This respect is mirrored by Jerry. “Karen is very dedicated to the company and loyal to her co-workers. She’s hardworking and probably does the work of three people. The qualifications that I look for in an employee are personality, dependability and ability to do the job. Karen embodies all three of these qualities, and she cares a lot about the people that work for her. The decision to make her a supervisor was easy.”

Karen’s natural ability to create a working environment where everyone feels comfortable is evident in how her team feels about her.

“Karen is a fun person to work with. She’s very understanding and dependable, and she will always help you through things and act as a counselor.”
- Candy Brewer, Material Control Associate

“Karen is an excellent manager and gets along well with her team. She has a big heart and is someone you can trust.”
- Shellie Vice, Buyer/Planner

“Karen is down to earth, effective, and very to the point. She makes things productive.”
- Jill Trigg, Purchasing

When not cheering on her manufacturing crew, Karen can be found spending time with her husband, three daughters and plenty of friends. The only thing she loves more than the water is the sun, and on nice days, you’re guaranteed to find Karen grilling out and soaking up the rays by the pool.