Written by Therese Schultz
24 Jul 2018

Team Spotlight : Mary Jo McDavitt

"I am a firm believer in chocolate."

One of the most important roles in our organization is that of a Plant Administrator, and Mary Jo McDavitt in Shakopee Minnesota is a shining example.

Mary joined us in 2015 and has naturally assumed a leadership role in customer processes and mastering the link between the customer and our operations. Mary has recently stepped up as the defacto plant manager and providing incredible support to our Minnesota team. When asked how she does it all? “Chocolate… I am a firm believer in chocolate!”

I was privileged to spend some time with Mary and find out what she saw for the future of her role at Daniels Health.

 


 

What do you see in store for Daniels or your team?

We are all striving toward building our customer base; we are really passionate about the impact Daniels has on our customers’ medical waste streams. I had never heard of reusable sharps containers until I started researching Daniels prior to my initial interview. Our solutions have a big impact on healthcare.

We need to get our name out there so people are aware of our solutions and people will know how wonderful we are. I'm excited for the next few months as we become more visible."

Mary Jo McDavitt

 

How does the Shakopee team serve the mission of making healthcare safer?

Everybody does their part to make sure that we are taking care of our customers and their patients. We’re a small team and we work together really well. As in all work places, some people are always more willing than others, however I can say that everybody on our team wants to do a good job, reach their highest potential, and make an impact on healthcare. As a leader I hope to continue that momentum, it’s hard to find people that aren't just showing up to get the hours.

Our drivers know the product and our customers. As they arrive back from their routes to customers, they often say 'they're interested in this or that' and we then get it taken care of right away. Customers even call me to tell me how much they love our product. It tells me that we're leaving an impression.

 

Looking Back... How do you feel your time at Daniels has stretched you as an individual since you started here 3 and a half years ago?

I have definitely expanded my scope of knowledge. I've been in healthcare since I was 15 years old but over time it has kept evolving. There is so much more involved than there was in the 70s. My first job was working in the pharmacy at Sams Club.

Our software was the hardest part of my job for me to learn, at first it seemed like learning a different language. However, I'm constantly figuring out new ways to load customer data in to the system so that we can eliminate mistakes. When I started, the previous admin had already gone so I had to jump in and learn routing. The first month and a half was trying to close out old routes and working on improving efficiencies in the office.

 

What was your favorite memory at Daniels?

Learning how to operate the Daniels Washsmart system has been my favorite learning experience! I truly thought it would be torture to learn how to operate the machine. It's very automated, and learning what to do when it hiccups is fascinating because mechanical stuff has never been my thing.

 

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Therese Schultz

Therese Schultz

Marketing Specialist

Therese joined the Daniels team in June 2017 after graduating from Loras College with a B.A in marketing and finance; she grew up in New Lenox in Chicago, is an avid volleyball player, and she loves numbers (quite a rare and beautiful find in marketing!)