Your first full-time job.
Working as a customer service representative at a local office supply dealer. I was looking for a teaching position after graduating college, but have stayed in this crazy industry for 30 years!
Your best piece of advice to someone who has just joined the OP industry.
Be patient with yourself; it takes time to learn. Don’t fear the competition either!
The best moment in your career.
Being awarded a contract with the National Healthcare GPO, Premier.
The industry figure you most admire.
Winnie Ary. I was one of her first trainees. She toughened me up and taught me a lot of what I practise today.
What do you think will be the biggest single issue affecting the OP industry over the next five years?
Drones delivering office products.
Your greatest strength.
Honesty and integrity. I never let anyone challenge it.
What business book would you recommend as essential reading?
Borrowing Brilliance by David Kord Murray.
Your childhood ambitions.
I wanted to be an archaeologist for some reason. I guess I like to discover things that are hidden.
Your first car.
A 1980 Datsun B210. A brown hatchback with racing stripes.
Things you don’t like spending money on.
Repairs. Why do things have to break?
The best concert you have ever been to.
Elvis Presley in April 1977.
Things that make you angry.
Lying. Be accountable for your decisions, either wrong or right.
What sports team do you support?
The Detroit Lions. I am a person that perseveres and I still believe we can win a Super Bowl!
What is mankind’s greatest invention?
Wine.
What keeps you awake at night?
I want to be the person in this industry who thinks of that one thing that totally changes the customer experience!
The daily task that you like the least.
I hate laundry.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
That I would have the ability to take a nap in the middle of the day.
How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who just loved all and loved life.
Any pets?
My Cavalier King Charles, my Cavapoo, and my 12-pound Calico cat.
