What do you like most about your LTC job?
I love that I have the ability to solve problems that make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable population we serve every day. The Guardian model of local ownership and local autonomy gives me the opportunity to make decisions that take care of our customers without the layers of approval often required by large organizations. This nimbleness underscores one of our guiding principles: we put our customers’ care first.
What’s your favorite part about assisting communities and residents?
Since joining Guardian and becoming part of the LTC community, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the tremendous care frontline workers provide to our seniors. The “Heroes Work Here” slogan could not be truer. In the face of staffing and funding challenges, these healthcare professionals show compassion, resolve and fortitude. Having the opportunity to be these heroes’ sidekick, making their challenging days a little bit easier, has been the most gratifying experience of my career.
What’s the best piece of advice you could give customers?
Tell us what you need and use us as a resource. Let us know if you have a question or concern. Ask more of us.
We are listening. Our business is centered around providing extraordinary customer service, and we pride ourselves on being the most responsive pharmacy in the business. Many of the processes we’ve adopted through the years have come directly from customer suggestions or improved understanding of our customers’ needs. The bottom line is we care and want to make a positive difference. Open, honest, direct communication is critical. We are always made better by those customers that hold us to a higher standard.
If you aren’t at work, you are…
Carving out time to spend with my beautiful wife and two kids. This usually involves a fair bit of time devoted to playing “Paw Patrol,” monster trucks, kitchen, or – my favorite – designing with K’NEX. I’ve recently tried to steer them toward baseball. My kindergartener and two-year-old currently have pretty good arms and lefty swings, but thus far, and very sadly, no passion. The first tee I purchased for them was quickly converted to the handle for a mop in their play cleaning set. On the plus side, I bought my two-year-old son a Twins hat in August which he literally hasn’t taken off since, including while sleeping!
Do you have an unusual hobby?
I love cycling – the Tour de France is my Super Bowl. I’ve been spotted on many a Sunday afternoon in one of my retro cycling kits, chasing around quiet highways on my 6-Series 2013 Trek Madone (made in the USA) and, when I was really into competitive racing, I shaved my legs. Yep, you read right. My wife gave me pointers. I once completed the Headwaters 100 (a 100-mile ride at the Headwaters of the Mississippi River) in 50-degree driving rain. (They served soup and hot chocolate at rest stops on that early September day.) My wife tried to quit, but I was having none of it. Luckily, we’re still married! Although I do not have as much time to pursue my own cycling as I’d like while juggling family and work, I still tune in as much as I can to see the teams and listen to Phil Liggett call the race in his soothing British accent.
People would be surprised to know…
Before I was “on the pharm,” I actually used to work on a farm – we grew small grains and sugar beets on my family’s farm in Drayton, N.D. (population 875). Every year, from early spring to late fall, from the age of 12 to 23, I drove trucks, operated combines, plowed, cultivated, seeded, and really just about every task my dad thought I ought to do! Although I don’t do much with farming these days (other than a very modest flower garden), the tinkering I learned to love during those years has stayed with me. I derive satisfaction from fixing things – toilets, sinks, sidewalks, tillers, decks, computers – especially when I can include my daughter, who has her own tools in a bag that matches mine. Like I tell her, all you need is a well-stocked toolbox, access to Google, and a little curiosity, and you can fix anything.
