Stories and Viewpoints

From a very young age, Dustin Laudermilch learned that opportunity can sometimes spring from the unlikeliest places. 

As a toddler, when his parents split up, he found a surrogate parent and a stable home with his sister, Amy, who is 17 years older. She was 20 when she became his legal guardian, delaying her own college plans and raising him. And his path to Viatris would prove equally unconventional.  

Dustin earned a football scholarship to Ohio University, playing for three years before injuries forced him to give up the game. He moved back to his hometown of Morgantown, W.Va., to finish his degree at West Virginia University – and then, once again, found himself at loose ends. 

“I, like many my age, was looking for a career,” he said. “Not a job to get by from day to day, but something meaningful to dedicate myself to that truly made an impact on the world.” 

As it turned out, it was right in his back yard. 

In 2012, Amy encouraged Dustin to apply for a job as a contracted security guard in the company’s Morgantown facility. He started off in July 2012 working as a gate guard, checking cars and making hourly rounds. 

“At the time, this was not necessarily the meaningful, life-changing opportunity that I had in mind, but that perception would rapidly change,” he said.  

He learned about the company’s role in providing access to medications for people around the world, and he quickly developed a passion for his work. A series of promotions moved him from guard to training supervisor and finally to site supervisor.  

In 2016, after four years of working in physical security, Dustin took a job as lead intelligence analyst in the newly formed Global Security Operations Center. He monitored global security systems, conducted geopolitical analysis and reporting, and learned about business travel and supply chain security as well as threat intelligence gathering and dissemination.  

“The skills and expertise gained during this period have proven to be invaluable as my career has progressed, all while instilling a deep sense of meaning in my chosen path,” he said.  

In 2019, opportunity knocked again, this time in a role in security technology – which allowed Dustin to develop project management and leadership skills.  

Today, Dustin is part of the corporate information technology team supporting physical security. The roles he filled from his first days with the company deepened his understanding of the work he does now, and he’s grateful to everyone who invested in his growth along the way.  

“Regardless of what your goals are when you first set out, there’s a big world out there and you have a lot of opportunities if you look,” he said.