Rep Corner
When Steve Amadio wants something, he goes after it – with vigor.
Steve Amadio says he’s pretty laid back. “But when I want to do something, I don’t stop until I do it.”
That’s how he got his job in 2012 with McKesson Medical-Surgical, doing inside sales of medical equipment and furniture to the extended care market. That’s how he closes sales every day as LTC equipment team lead. And that’s how he lost 230 pounds about 14 years ago.
“I was 22 or 23,” he explains. “I’d been heavy my whole life. One day, I bent down to tie my shoes, and when I came up, I was completely out of breath. And I said to myself, ‘If I don’t make some changes, I’ll be dead by the time I’m 30.’” Today he’s up at 4:30 every morning hitting the gym. He’s a healthy 190 pounds, and he’s already outlasted the 30-year mark by six years.
Crash
Born and raised in South Jersey, Amadio had once hoped to become a teacher. Instead, he worked in finance and car sales before joining Madison Credit Management Services in 2006 as a title and appraisal service team leader. He coordinated residential mortgages, loan closings, title services and appraisal inspections. One year after joining the firm, the housing market crashed.
“I survived while many of my peers were being laid off, until one day they decided it was time to lay off my entire office, except for our manager,” recalls Amadio of the crash and its aftermath. “It was the first time I found myself unemployed. I regrouped and networked with friends and former associates. One of them took my resume to his manager at McKesson – Tom Whalen.
“I am a firm believer that every life experience molds, prepares, and readies you for the next. So, yes, my time in the mortgage business has proved useful. But so has every position I have held, including my high school job stocking shelves at Drug Emporium – where we used to get weekly McKesson deliveries.”
That said, Amadio’s experience in the mortgage industry prepared him particularly well for his work at McKesson Medical-Surgical.
Big decisions
“When somebody is investing in a mortgage, it’s a big decision for them,” he says. “I learned how to communicate with home buyers so they knew I understood the huge decision they were making.”
Amadio takes the same approach with owners of long-term-care facilities and CEOs of chains, as they contemplate big decisions, like a facility remodel. “I tell them, ‘We know how important this is to you, and McKesson will be there for you.’”
He wasn’t sure that inside sales in healthcare would be a good fit for him, but he did know that he wanted no more of the mortgage industry. “I followed up with Tom Whalen monthly and sometimes weekly until he brought me in for an interview with my current manager – and mentor – Ruth Schultz,” Amadio recalls. He got the job in 2012, and hasn’t stopped learning since.
“When I first started in 2012, I noticed the market was mainly price-driven,” he says. “But in recent years, our customers are looking more closely at value than price.
“Anyone can drop a price or sell a low-cost option, but at McKesson, we not only look to give our customers the best price, but we partner with them too. When someone is purchasing capital equipment and furniture, we want to make sure they are getting something that will last, that will help the staff, and will aid and benefit residents’ wellbeing. This is where McKesson excels, and how we separate ourselves from our competition.”
In 2014, Amadio became team leader. He still operates his Florida territory, but serves as a “coach” to the other reps on the team. “Ruth mentored me in my transition from being a sales rep to being a leader too,” he says. “In fact, with direction from Ruth and Tom [Whalen], I have been able to develop here at McKesson.”
Amadio got married to his wife, Kathy, in November 2018. “She is what truly motivates me and drives me,” he says. “She means the world to me.” The two have a dog and a cat, and they volunteer at the Burlington County Animal Alliance.
He likes stand-up comedy and performed on a local channel a few times. (His favorite comedian? Probably Jim Gaffigan.) And because of that experience, he has hosted the McKesson Extended Care Awards the last two years. “That was a blast,” he says.