Melody Hernandez, senior account manager with Owens & Minor, said this year has been unique in more ways than one.
By Graham Garrison
With 17 years of experience as an account manager for Owens & Minor, Melody Hernandez has seen her share of market disruptions. New technology implementations. Health systems consolidating. Recessions and bounce backs and economic swings.
But 2020? Yeah, this year will take the cake.
“The pandemic has made this year incredibly challenging,” she said. “COVID-19 has rattled the entire industry. This is new territory for us all as we navigate through the chaos in search of sustainable solutions.”
Fortunate to be in healthcare
Born and raised in Southern California, Hernandez is a senior account manager with Owens & Minor, having just celebrated her 17th anniversary with the company in July. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management. She supports healthcare facilities in San Diego and Riverside County. Prior to joining O&M, she worked in a clinical role, for a hospital system in SoCal, and considers herself fortunate to play a part in healthcare for over 20 years.
One of the things Hernandez finds most rewarding in her role as a distribution rep is being able to deliver solutions that create efficiencies for her customers. “This is one of the reasons I love working for O&M,” she said. “I enjoy working very closely with my customers. Every day brings forth a new set of challenges and opportunities to problem solve.”
Particularly each day lately amid a pandemic. With the increased demand on product and the decreased availability, Hernandez said she spends the majority of her time searching for quality product sources. “We are so fortunate to have our Halyard-brand products as part of the O&M offering,” she said. “My O&M Global Products teammates have been incredibly supportive. Teamwork is critical. Current demands of the healthcare industry prompt dramatic scaling up in disaster readiness and my team has stepped up to support our customers in every way possible.”
As any sales rep would say, Hernandez considers herself a people person and thrives on daily interactions with customers, “and really just people in general,” she said. “To go from being onsite with my customers several days a week to mainly working from home was certainly an adjustment. It really makes you appreciate the face-to-face meetings so much more as you work to find creative ways to replace those interactions. Add quarantine and business closures and now I’m feeling completely cut off from the world. This year has been a true test of one’s strength.”
Success today will take a collaborative environment, she said. “It is extremely important to see yourself in your customer’s shoes. Value that we provided in the past may not be relevant in this new day. Understanding the current priorities of your customer is essential – just as being able to adjust your role to provide the appropriate support in this changing environment.”
When not working to provide solutions for her customers, Hernandez puts most of her energy into her family. “My husband and I are a modern-day Brady Bunch. Between us we have six children from ages 14 to 24. We enjoy our family time. I love to cook and they love to eat! We sit together for dinner nightly. We enjoy being outdoors. Nothing beats the fresh air! We enjoy taking the trailer out for a quick weekend of camping and hiking.”