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Employee Connection: PTS Employees Share the Love During American Heart Month

Sales Corner: An Inside Look at Sales

Product Highlights

Employee Spotlights

HR Corner

Quarterly Question

Employee Connection:
PTS Employees Share the Love During American Heart Month
By Latasha Little, Product Labeling Manager

February was officially American Heart Month, but we celebrate heart health year-round here at PTS!

Studies¹ have shown that people with a positive outlook have a 30% lower risk of developing heart disease.

Positivity can also help those that already have cardiovascular disease see a decreased risk of having a heart attack by 38% (optimism), 32% (positive outlook), and 27% (having a purpose in life). A negative outlook can release stress hormones, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. Ultimately, being positive is good for your heart health, as well as your mental health.

That’s why we decided to survey PTS employees to find out what gives them a sense of positivity, love, and joy in both their professional and personal lives.

What do you love most about your current role?

Impact on PTS/Customers: 43%

• “Making an impact on strangers’ lives that very likely save them.” Jeremy Farmer, Domestic Sales
• “The freedom and responsibility to make an impact for our people and our company.” George Spoerl, Engineering
• “I love helping to discover new customer bases for our products, and helping to create materials and messaging that serve our current customers.” Andrea Sauceda, Marketing
• “I love being able to be close contact with customers and see our products changing lives.” Gary Johnson, Domestic Sales
  

Co-Workers/Supervisors: 33%

• “I love working and interacting with all the employees from different backgrounds, departments and company levels.” Teurayi George, Quality
• “Interaction with customers as well as PTS Employees.” Don Bellissimo, Domestic Sales
• “I love the people I work with, and my managers.” Randall Cundiff, Quality
• “The team, my manager and supervisor, and even the Product support supervisor all help me along as I make my way through all the trials and tribulations of learning a new job.” Kyle Green, Quality
• “Coordination and interaction with cross-function PTSers.” Jiawen Cai, Executive Team

Variety/Type of Work: 14%

• “I love that my day changes every day.” Shelby Smiley, Quality
• “It allows me the flexibility to be creative in a variety of ways, both conventionally and unconventionally.” Latasha Little, Marketing
• “That each day presents a new challenge.” Carolyn Schmitt, Regulatory
• “Variety of work.”  Cameron Dobson, Marketing

Work is Challenging/Provides Growth: 10%

• “It challenges me to solve problems.” Patrick Twigg, Engineering
• “I am constantly learning, researching, growing professionally, and helping the company navigate regulatory issues to further our products to customers that help others.” Janice Keeney, Regulatory
• “The fact of being involved making a company grow, while growing also my own skills, customers’ business and end customers’ health screening improved.” Alexandre Norton Lages, Int’l Sales
• “I love being involved in important projects at PTS, and I love that my input and opinion are valued by the team.” Issa Emeish, Legal

What do you love most about your co-workers at PTS?

Friendly/Helpful/Supportive: 52%

• “Friendly and caring nature.” Anushree Deshinge, Quality
• “They are family. They have the same passion I have…helping people and creating better healthcare.” Gary Johnson, Domestic Sales
• “They are a great group to work with and step up to get done what is needed.” Janice Keeney, Regulatory
• “I love that my co-workers are like a second family to me.” Randall Cundiff, Quality
• “Every one of my co-workers is genuinely fun to work with and are great people on a personal level.” Issa Emiesh, Legal
• “Friendliness, teamwork and encouraging.” Jianwen Cai, Executive Team
• “There are several unique individuals that are happy to help others, which has helped me succeed at my job.” Cameron Dobson, Marketing
• “Friendly.” Danquynh Chu, SVL Operations

Good Teamwork/Rally Together: 29%

• “The willingness people have to come together to solve problems quickly and effectively.”
 George Spoerl, Engineering
• “Team atmosphere and no egos.” Jeremy Farmer, Domestic Sales

• “Willingness to get job done and help where needed.” Don Bellissimo, Domestic Sales
• “PTS is a small team and I believe we do a good job rallying together to tackle any challenge that comes our way.” Latasha Little, Marketing

Hardworking/Knowledgeable: 19%

• “They are humble, easy to talk to, and always ready to share their knowledge of PTS products and services.” Teurayi George, Quality
• “Hardworking, smart people.” Mike Kraus, Domestic Sales
• “They’re all funny and extremely knowledgeable on top of being personable.”
 Kyle Green, Quality
• “They’re dedicated and efficient.” Patrick Twigg, Engineering
• “My coworkers always step up to help in any way they can. When I find myself against a difficult problem, they are always willing to brainstorm ideas and solutions.” Shelby Smiley, Quality

What do you like most about the company culture?

Personable Environment: 33%

• “Being friendly and continue to improve everyday work.” Jiawen Cai, Executive Team
• “Family environment working towards the same goal.” Jeremy Farmer, Domestic Sales
• “It feels like family.” Randall Cundiff, Quality
• “My bosses care about each and every person on the team. The ability to let us do our job and guide us when needed is crucial to an environment that produces happy employees.” Gary Johnson, Domestic Sales

Collaborative/Team Atmosphere/Resilient: 28%

• “The PTS culture has traditionally been very warm and friendly and collaborative. People respect each other and consider each other friends as well as coworkers. People generally try hard at their jobs, are good at what they do, and want to make the company a success by contributing however they can.” Issa Emiesh, Legal
• “Collaborative culture.” Anushree Deshinge, Quality
• “The resiliency, we always seem to be able to rally to meet nearly any challenge.” Cameron Dobson, Marketing
• “Can-do attitude.” Mike Kraus, Domestic Sales
• “I like that we’re scrappy. We get knocked down but we don’t stay down.” Andrea Sauceda, Marketing
• “The company has a very “all in this together attitude.” Shelby Smiley, Quality

Flexible/Relaxed: 19%

• “The emphasis on the personal life outside of work while still holding people accountable for their deadlines.” George Spoerl, Engineering
• “The willingness to improve.” Patrick Twigg, Engineering
• “It’s very relaxed, so long as you follow the guidelines, you’re golden.” Kyle Green, Quality
• “Leadership does not Micro-Manage as long as Sales is getting the job done.” Don Bellissimo, Domestic Sales

Recognition/Respect: 10%

• “I just started working, but what I noticed so far, the incentive for respect between each other and caring for all.” Alexandre Norton Lages, Int’l Sales
• “PTS culture recognizes talent and promotes within.” Teurayi George, Quality

Employee Events/Engagement: 10%

•  “I like the events we have, especially the Christmas party, how we used to do it anyway. It’s
 nice to be able to gather with everyone and celebrate hard work and dedication.” Janice Keeney, Regulatory
• “That employee events/engagement are/is still an important part of the workplace experience.” Latasha Little, Marketing

What’s your favorite memory at PTS from 2022?

Company Events: 38%

• “I really enjoyed the company events we were able to have. It was nice to all get together.” Shelby Smiley, Quality
• “Game event and food truck.” Jiawen Cai, Executive Team
• “I enjoyed the Christmas party.” Randall Cundiff, Quality
• “Cornhole tournament last year.” Anushree Deshinge, Quality
• “Planning company events with co-workers + Annual Halloween shenanigans with my dept.” Latasha Little, Marketing
• “I just joined, so I guess the Christmas Holiday party was really fun and cool.” Kyle Green, Quality
• “The holiday season around PTS is really fun each year. The company holiday party really helps solidify the team feeling with others in the company with whom we may not work closely on a daily basis. All of the holiday events like the Halloween costume and decoration contest are great.” Issa Emiesh, Legal

Achieving Project Goals: 24%

• “Orders increasing from of our screening customers that saw a tremendous drop in Screening Events during the Pandemic.” Don Bellissimo, Domestic Sales
• “Achieving IVDR certification for our Quality System, Lipid Panel test strips, and Cholesterol test strips.” Carolyn Schmitt, Regulatory
• “Working through setting up the A1CNow flatbed printer for the Gemini project.” Cameron Dobson, Marketing
• “Seeing my team reach the goals we set for them.” Gary Johnson, Domestic Sales
• “Early December BSI arrived for an unannounced audit of the Whitestown facility. The team organized, gathered records, and worked together on a moment’s notice. The audit concluded with zero observations.” Teurayi George, Quality

Support from others at PTS: 10% 

• “When I made a rather large mistake and my managers had my back and got together to solve the issue instead of criticizing and belittling me. This goes to show that people at PTS truly cares about the people here.” George Spoerl, Engineering
• “Company support.” Mike Kraus, Domestic Sales

Joining PTS: 10% 

• “Joining PTS.” Jeremy Farmer, Domestic Sales
• “I just joined PTS in 2023, but I met some sales people in Spain in 2022, and it was great 
   to feel like we were colleagues for long time, but we have just met that day.” Alexandre Norton Lages, Int’l Sales

What inspires you most about working in the health care industry?

Helping Others: 67%

• “It’s nice to work for a company that is legitimately making life better for a lot of people through its products.” Issa Emiesh, Legal
• “Helping people feel better.” Gary Johnson, Domestic Sales
• “I love feeling like I help people monitor/ manage their health.” Randall Cundiff, Quality
• “Knowing that my job plays at least a small part in making a difference in people’s lives.” Latasha Little, Marketing
• “Ability to help people.” Mike Kraus, Domestic Sales
• “The ability to impact the everyday lives with patients.” Carolyn Schmitt, Regulatory
• “Helping those less fortunate than others.” Jeremy Farmer, Domestic Sales
• “I can create value in people’s health through my work.” Jianwen Cai, Executive Team
• “Knowing that I´m participating in the delivery of POC products to people in need of them to help them improve their health.” Alexandre Norton Lages, Int’l Sales
• “As my parents age, their needs are becoming more visible to me. My mom has type 1 diabetes, so knowing our products help people like her manage their health is a good feeling.” Cameron Dobson, Marketing
• “It’s nice to know that our products can help others lives for the better.” Don Bellissimo, Domestic Sales
• “It’s rewarding knowing that the work you do is improving other people’s health.”
 Patrick Twigg, Engineering

Passion for the Industry: 19%

• “Always loved it, since I turned an adult I’ve worked the medical industry.” Kyle Green, Quality
• “I am inspired by the notion of preventive healthcare. Working in medical diagnostics, we have the opportunity to be leaders in advocating for our own health prior to the onset of disease.” Shelby Smiley, Quality
• “Working in the healthcare industry allows you to nurture your desire to help others while earning a living.” Anushree Deshinge, Quality
• “I am inspired that I am part of an innovative global conglomerate that help patients lead happier healthy lives by providing superior quality care products and services.” Teurayi George, Quality

Improving Industry: 10%

• “Knowing our product will help people and bring awareness to diabetes and other diseases.” Janice Keeney, Regulatory
• “I am constantly impressed by the high-risk nature of healthcare manufacturing and the importance of doing everything the “right way”. There is no room for errors when it comes
 to the patient, and this typically challenges companies like ours to bring about innovation to all satiations.” George Spoerl, Engineering

What are looking forward to most in 2023 (PTS or Personal)?

Success/Growth: 81%

• “Success and good health.” Jeremy Farmer, Domestic Sales
• “I am looking forward to completing the projects ahead of me.” Shelby Smiley, Quality
• “Success in the marketplace.” Mike Kraus, Domestic Sales
• “Getting our new A1C lines up and running. I’m excited to get my hands dirty.” Patrick Twigg, Engineering
• “Looking to see some of the smaller opportunities that I have been working on finally gain some momentum in 2023.” Don Bellissimo, Domestic Sales
• “Looking forward to seeing how the collaboration between PTS, Trividia, and Sinocare helps in profit gaining, as employees need certainty and reasons to stay.” Anushree Deshinge, Quality
• “PTS has new products and will have a robust A1CNow production line in WT.” Jianwen Cai, Executive Team
• “Growing our business. We have a lot to offer, a lot of people that have not heard about us, and getting to meet new people.” Gary Johnson, Domestic Sales
• “In 2023, I’m looking forward to continued positive financial growth for the company, getting the FDA Warning Letter behind us, and, hopefully, a renewed sense that “everything is going to be fine” and that the company is on the right path and will continue to thrive in the coming years.” Issa Emiesh, Legal
• “More positive growth (PTS).” Latasha Little, Marketing
• “I am looking forward to making new things this year, both at work and at home.” Andrea Sauceda, Marketing
• “I am looking forward to building my team and improving processes to ensure the continued quality of our products.” Randall Cundiff, Quality
• “I´m looking forward to prove PTS that I´m the right person for my role while also confirming to myself that PTS is the right company for me.” Alexandre Norton Lages, Int’l Sales
• “Everyone around me is getting promoted. 2023 I am looking forward for my own promotion and recognition of my talents.” Teurayi George, Quality
• “Achieving more goals within our group to meet regulatory requirements and keeping our
 product in certain markets. Personally, working on growing in knowledge for what I do.” Janice Keeney, Regulatory

Family: 14%

• “Meeting my first grandchild.” Cameron Dobson, Marketing
• “Getting married and maybe moving to a nicer place.” Kyle Green, Quality
• “The birth of my first-born son in April.” George Spoerl, Engineering

Travel: 10%

• “I’m taking a tour of London with my mom and sister at the end of May 2023.” Carolyn Schmitt, Regulatory
• “More travel (Personal).” Latasha Little, Marketing

1. Tello, M. (2019, March 6). A positive mindset can help your heart [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu A prospective study of positive psychological well-being and coronary heart disease. Health Psychology, May 2011.
Optimism and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, January 2017.

Sales Corner:

An Inside Look at
Inside Sales

If you walk by Jonathan Deal or Kyle Nelson’s office on any given day, you may find that their office door is closed.

That is not because they are not interested in chatting—quite the contrary! In fact, the door is probably closed because they are chatting away with a potential customer.

Together, Jon and Kyle make up the new Inside Sales team here at PTS Diagnostics.

But… Didn’t we already have a sales team?

Yes! We have always had a Field Sales team, and an amazing one, at that!

But, Inside Sales and Field Sales have two distinct approaches. They complement one another in ensuring the best possible experience for our customers at every stage of their relationship with us.

Field salespeople tend to spend most of their time traveling within their assigned territories, meeting face-to-face with current and potential customers, distribution stakeholders, and our MedPro representatives. They typically work with high-value accounts, taking care to establish and maintain strong connections at every level of the sales cycle.

Inside salespeople primarily work from the office, using phone calls, emails, video conferencing, and other online communication channels to explore leads and create opportunities for our Field Sales team. They tend to engage with customers at the earlier stages of the sales cycle and qualify opportunities before sending them to field sales as “warm leads.” This helps our field sales representatives to focus their time and efforts on the work needed around the purchase process and beyond.

By working together, Inside Sales and Field Sales create a continuum of support that offers customers a more personally individualized experience.

Before Jon and Kyle first began making Inside Sales calls back in April 2022, they had to create a plan and build a set of systems to support their work. They customized existing reporting systems for their specific needs and developed protocols for handing off new customers to Inside Sales. They also established a set of best practices to guide how the Inside Sales team and Field Sales team would support each other and share information.

For example, when customers speak with our Inside Sales team first, Jonathan and Kyle helps them determine what products and service would best fit their needs and helps to determine a path forward for purchasing.

Once the best path has been determined, they will introduce the customer to a member of our Field Sales team, or to one of our distribution partners, as appropriate. From there, Field Sales or a distribution representative will take the lead in completing the sale.

Jon sees his and Kyle’s key role as leading customers in the right direction and putting them in touch with the right people, both inside our organization and among our partners. One of their main goals is to make the purchasing process faster, easier, and more high-touch experience for our customers and partners.

“Inside Sales acts as a kind of concierge for customers. Speedy response is critical. My belief is that the Inside Sales team creates a very pain-free journey for our customers, partner network, and field teams that reinforces our commitment to the customer and creates a much better experience for all,” Jon explained.

In the short amount of time the Inside Sales team has been operating, they have exceeded their 2022 revenue goals and built a strong pipeline of new business to the organization. A call with one independent pharmacy in Alabama, for example, opened an opportunity not only for a sale to that customer, but also an opportunity to network with independent pharmacies throughout the state as part of an insurance-initiated testing program to close gaps in care for municipality employees.

With each lead handoff between Inside Sales and Field Sales comes an opportunity for the teams to share information, insights, and best practices. As the teams collaborate, they learn from each other in ways that improve their strategies and maximize the company’s sales potential.

PTS Employee Spotlights

Brian Yates

Facilities Manager

Learn More

When did you join PTS?

December 1997

Name three hashtags that describe you.
#Friendly #Happy #Lucky

Favorite place to “get away”.

John’s Pass. Madeira Beach, Florida

Best part about your job at PTS?

Seeing the changes and growth through the years.

Favorite part about working at PTS?

I have had the pleasure of working with some great people over my time here.

Secret Talent?

Cooking.

One thing you can’t resist?
Enjoying Life

Best advice you’ve ever been given?

Tomorrow is not a given. Enjoy each day like it’s your last.

Ashley Moses

Senior Production Supervisor

Learn More

When did you join PTS?
April 2008

Name three hashtags that describe you.
#LiveLoveLaugh #Troubleshooter #Introvert

Favorite place to “get away”.

HOME! 3 Kids + Spouse = Never a dull moment.

Best part about your job at PTS?

Working with operations. “Teamwork” is key.

Favorite part about working at PTS?

Helping people have better, healthy lifestyles.

Secret Talent?

Crafting – I LOVE IT.

One thing you can’t resist?

80s & 90s music. Old school is the best.  

Jeremy Farmer
Territory Account Specialist

Learn More

When did you join PTS?

January 2022

Name three hashtags that describe you.
#Funny #Humble #Dedicated

Favorite place to “get away.”

Anywhere with my family… but during the fall it’s tailgating at Oklahoma State University football games.

Best part about your job at PTS?

There are multiple aspects that I enjoy being a member of the PTS Team. I would say the one that stands out the most would be the “family/team” atmosphere. It was instrumental in my growth and adoption into the unique dynamics that make PTS Diagnostics not only a great success within the industry…but a “life changing” impact to saving lives.

Favorite part about working at PTS?

Everyone has been wonderful at taking time to help teach and show me the path to success within my territory.

Secret Talent?

Any talents I have I don’t keep them secret… I like to share them with everyone. But I am great at listening and giving advice… probably more of a characteristic than talent. I also make really great BBQ!

One thing you can’t resist?

Having a great time, being the center of attention, and making sure that everyone around me is having a great time.

HR Corner:

Hey, Where’s that Form?

Most HR-related forms can currently be found on SharePoint. Go to ptsdiagnostics.sharepoint.com. Under “Featured Links” in the left-hand column, click “HR.” From there, you can click “Benefits,” “HR Forms” or “Manager Forms” depending on what you’re looking for. If you don’t see what you need in the SharePoint folders, please contact your HR team!

• Healthy Rewards: https://bit.ly/pts-healthy-rewards
• Employee Referral: https://bit.ly/pts-employee-referral
• Charity/Matching Contribution: https://bit.ly/pts-charity
• Student Loan and Tuition Reimbursement: https://bit.ly/pts-tuition
• Organizational Charts: https://bit.ly/pts-org-charts

Quarterly Question

“What is something that sparked joy for you in the past year/2022?”

Time spent with family and friends, hiking, and reading books.— Latasha Little, Marketing

Knowing I would join PTS team in 2023!
— Alexandre Norton Lages, International Sales

2022 was a year balancing career changes, lots of travel and new experiences. I enjoyed that I could enter 2023 knowing I made the most of my work and personal life. One trip I went on was a road trip to South Dakota and Wyoming. I highly recommend!
— Shelby Smiley, Quality & Regulatory

Making new friends and contacts as well as building new relationships.
— Jeremy Farmer, U.S. Sales

The empathy, compassion and support my PTS family showed upon my son Brandon’s sudden passing. I can’t thank you all enough for being there for me and my family. Your presence softened the blow to an extremely sorrowful event.
— Teurayi George, Quality & Regulatory

People who gave me strong supports when i needed.
— Jianwen Cai, Executive Team

My sister’s wedding and no lock down. I enjoyed going outside with no mask required. 🙂
— Danquynh Chu, Operations

Covid has brought awareness to our products.
— Mike Kraus, U.S. Sales

Starting my new role here at PTS.
— Patrick Twigg, Operations

Able to build trustworthy relationships with new employees joining PTS.
— Anushree Deshinge, Quality & Regulatory

I get energized every day knowing there are people out there that can use our products. Plus, having both my kids on the Dean’s List for their respected universities.
— Gary Johnson, U.S. Sales

I was promoted last year to Product Support Supervisor and that made me feel like my hard work was not only recognized, but appreciated.
— Randall Cundiff, Quality & Regulatory

A whole new job made everything all the better, glad it was PTS that chose me to work for ’em.
— Kyle Green, Quality & Regulatory

Getting married and officially starting life as a family with my wife and stepson was easily the most joyous experience of 2022 for me. (Our honeymoon in Europe was pretty great too…)
— Issa Emeish, Finance

Seeing my kids reach for and conquer new challenges.  
— Carolyn Schmitt, Quality & Regulatory

2022 was full of joys, both expected and unexpected, and I sure hope that trend continues into 2023.
— Andrea Sauceda, Marketing

Learning that I was going to become a grandpa.  
— Cameron Dobson, Marketing

Where to begin? Discovering the conception of my son. Starting my new career at PTS. Buying a beautiful house during the market of 2022. Moving to the great state of Indiana.
— George Spoerl, Operations

Finally was able to take a vacation in Italy with my wife!
— Don Bellissimo, U.S. Sales

PTS Diagnostics Goes Red!

Thank you for celebrating Wear Red Day with us!