Katrina Karriker Brown

Plant Controller, Henkel Corporation
Native of Rowan County

Industry: Manufacturing

Katrina Brown works at Henkel Corporation in the Adhesive Technologies business as the Salisbury, North Carolina plant controller. Her controller career started in 2005 with National Starch as a plant controller and continued when Henkel bought the industrial and electronic adhesives plants from National Starch in 2009. Her job includes yearly planning, monthly reporting, variance reporting, and product costing. Brown loves that here in Rowan County you can “work for a global company with great opportunities without sacrificing your personal time to long commutes.” She has enjoyed each phase of her career and enjoys being part of the Henkel Family in Salisbury.

Katrina was born here in Rowan County, graduated from South Rowan, attended UNC-Chapel Hill, lived in Louisiana, Florida, and New Jersey, and then made her way back home in 1995. The love of her home county runs deep because her father was also born and raised here. But what else besides family brought her back? “Rowan County is home. The county offers small town appeal. We have industry and farms. We can live and work in a county that we can get to know our neighbors and drive to work without the congestion of neighboring areas.”

Not only does Rowan County offer that homey feel, but Brown loves so many specific places found within the county lines. Her favorite restaurant is Sweet Meadow Café in downtown Salisbury and her go-to meal is their blackened tuna tacos. When she is feeling outdoorsy, Brown visits Sloan Park to see the historic gristmill and to hear the creek running through the park. During the summer, a highlight is the Faith Fourth of July parade. 

Rowan County is like nowhere else because it is “peaceful, but not remote.” Brown truly feels like she can experience the best of everything here. She is an active member of Corriher Grange and Concordia Lutheran Church. The Grange is a rural organization that supports veterans, schools, and neighbors. Through her church, Brown participates in the yearly Love Thy Neighbor event where a community member with financial and health needs is chosen to benefit from a community-wide run, breakfast, and silent auction.

It is easy to be an original in Rowan County because “Rowan is an original. We offer so much, and I am happy that when we drive through our county, we can still honor our history as well as see our progress and our vision for the future.” Henkel’s purpose as outlined in their mission statement is “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations” and that fits perfectly with Brown’s own opinion of her home county. She wants those considering a move to Rowan County to understand that “You can be a part of Rowan County, live here, work here, grow your family here. Rowan County has just enough city and rural areas to build a good life.”

You can learn more about career opportunities with Henkel Corporation by visiting their website at https://www.henkel-northamerica.com/careers.