Happy Friday! Let’s start the weekend with a new edition of the Employee Spotlight Series. This week we are featuring Michelle Regnier! Michelle is a Business Development Manager and joined the team a little over 2 years ago. When asked what she looked forward to in her future at SpendMend, she said, “I want to always be a contributing member and make sure I exceed expectations!” It was great getting to know Michelle better and learning more about her interests and hobbies. During work, Michelle loves listening to music and is obsessed with the songs she finds on TikTok! Some of her favorite finds from the app are Iniko, Naika, CKay, and Artimus, to name a few. Some of her more mainstream favorites are Imagine Dragons, Lumineers, Hozier, and Pink. Music in the background for Michelle is a must while she is working, painting, or cycling because it keeps her motivated and positive! Thank you for the new song recommendations, Michelle. We might need a link to your positive work playlist! A fun fact about Michelle is that she has an Arts Degree from CSULB and loves oil painting! She has been an artist since she was very young and has been a passion ever since! Oil painting is her favorite because it takes a few days to dry and she is able to mix the paint on canvas to get a specific shade of color. Michelle’s house is full of her wonderful art, and she states, “I love going over to my friend’s houses and seeing my stuff hanging on their walls too!” Check out the end of the interview to see one of Michelle’s favorite paintings! Outside of work, Michelle’s favorite hobbies are mountain and road cycling. She got her first Schwinn 10-speed bike at 11 years old from a Kellogg’s cereal box competition, and the rest is history! She loves the friendships she made through cycling groups, everyone is very supportive and fitness oriented. Michelle even met her significant other in a cycling group! Some of the best century road rides she completed with her significant other were Solvang, Amtrak Century, and MS Society. Her favorite 50-mile mountain bike rides are the Rwanda ride and Whiskey 50, in Prescot, AZ. If you’re interested in cycling and wondering where to start, Michelle is your expert!
We are so grateful to have hard workers like Michelle on our Team! Nicole Thompson, Business Development Director, said, “Michelle is the sunshine of the Business Development Team. That extends to the larger SpendMend Marketing and Sales teams, and really everyone she interacts with-whether that’s team members on Zoom calls or all of the 340B and Pharmacy leaders she talks with every week. Her enthusiasm for life and positive attitude helps make work FUN! Our team would not be the same without her. I’m so thrilled that Michelle joined SpendMend.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Thank you, Michelle, for all that you do!
Interview with Michelle:
What is your role at SpendMend?
Business Development Manager
How long have you been with SpendMend?
2 years 2 months
How did you first learn about SpendMend?
From Lisa Lampe (former colleague at PRG)
What 3 words would you use to describe SpendMend?
Welcoming, Phenomenal Healthcare Offerings, Supportive
Where are you located/from?
I was born and raised in Southern California.
Where did you go for higher education?
I was born and raised in Southern California. My Dad was the VP of Physical Planning & Development at CSULB for over 20 years before he retired and he is my biggest hero so I knew I wanted to attend there (Go Beach!).
Why did you decide to get an Arts degree?
I have been an artist since I was very young, and CSULB has a great art program. The oil painting and illustration classes were my favorite.
What piqued your interest to start making art?
My late mother was a teacher so she used to buy books on how to draw when we were growing up and it really stuck with me as a passion.
What is your favorite part about oil painting?
Oil paint is my favorite because it takes a couple of days to dry and I am able to mix the paint on canvas while I am painting to get the right shade of color.
What is the most difficult part about it?
I would say the toughest part is getting the pencil drawing done correctly long before starting with color so perspective and proper shape and form are very important.
What is your favorite oil painting you’ve made?
My house is full of my work and I still paint for a few clients. I love going over to my friend’s houses and seeing my stuff hanging on their walls too!
Why do you look forward to coming to work?
I love what we offer to the RX industry and love being part of a class act Marketing Team. I am given all the support and tools on the back end to absolutely shine. My manager is always approachable and supportive and constantly provides everything I need. The RX solutions we offer make sense to the industry and my prospects tend to be approachable and quickly become great conversations. They give great feedback about our webinars and podcast and what we offer the industry as a whole. Our name recognition in the industry adds so much to my conversations as well. I really enjoy what I sell because it makes sense.
Before working at SpendMend, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
Every summer during college I would teach horsemanship at a horse camp in San Diego County. We would get the kids ready to put on a horse show for the parents. All week we taught Western equitation, pole bending, and vaulting (gymnastics on horseback) I had a blast and when that ended I was able to buy a Thoroughbred from them. (He was off the track and clearly not a safe horse for kids) I turned him into a Hunter Jumper and had him for another 12 years. His name was Turbo Ryder(His sire was Red Ryder like the BB gun lol).
What is one fun fact about you?
I have an Arts Degree from CSULB and love oil painting!
What type of music or podcasts do you listen to during the workday?
I usually have my iTunes on in the background but my music taste is really all over the map… I love Imagine Dragons, Billie Eilish, Iniko, OneRepublic, Naika, and Foo Fighters are just a few examples. I always have music on in the background while I am working or painting or cycling- it keeps me motivated and positive!
What are your favorite songs to listen to at work?
So my musical tastes are all over the place… I am obsessed with TikTok and I always find great new music from the app (Iniko, Naika, CKay, Artimus Wolz, Petit Biscuit, Cody Fry, Wrabel, Elderbrook, and Sam Ryder are just a few). Other mainstream favorites include Imagine Dragons, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam/ Eddie Vedder, Mumford & Sons, Lumineers, Silversun Pickups, Lee DeWyze, Hozier, Peter Gabriel, and Pink.
Do you have any hobbies or participate in any activities outside of work?
I love both mountain and road cycling and try to get out there as often as possible. Luckily, living in California provides tons of sunny days for this.
When did you start mountain and road cycling?
When I was 11 years old, I decided to enter an art contest I saw on the back of a box of Kellogg’s cereal. I decided to draw Tony the Tiger being served Frosted Flakes by a snooty waiter in a very posh restaurant. I ended up winning and was sent a certificate to pick out my very own Schwinn 10-speed! My shiny blue bike was the envy of the neighborhood since my other friends still had banana seat bikes with tasseled handlebars. Fast forward a few years later and in 2013 I decided to join a couple of different cycling groups and upgraded to a Pivot mountain bike and Bianchi road bike.
Where is the best place you’ve gone mountain and road cycling?
We have accomplished a few century road rides (Solvang, Amtrak Century, and MS Society) and 50-mile mountain bike rides (Rwanda ride and Whiskey 50 in Prescot AZ). We usually ride 3-5 times a week. We are lucky to live in Southern California with great weather and a ton of trail options and we can basically cycle almost all year round.
What do you enjoy most about both hobbies?
The cycling community is a great group of people. Everyone seems very fitness oriented and supportive and I love the friendships I have made. I even met my significant other in the group in 2016. (He was known for doing very epic long rides with tons of climbing so I had to step up my game to get him to notice me…apparently it worked lol).
Do you interact with
Potential Clients
Can you describe an interaction when you helped a client or a supplier that stands out in your mind?
When I am setting up sales presentations for our RX prospects many times they are stressed because they need their 340B program to be compliant to pass the HRSA audit. Usually, they seem relieved that we can help them and can provide support. I constantly hear positive feedback about our webinars and podcast and even when they are not interested in meeting with us, they are still able to get to know us using those formats and end up coming back around down the road.
What was the best compliment you’ve ever been paid by a client or supplier?
My prospects tell me that I am “Pleasantly Persistent” and I wear that as a badge of honor!
What is the best part of serving the healthcare market?
The best part is providing a service to RX market that brings so much value. Both programs that I sell (340B and Trulla) provide compliance and end up becoming huge cost savers.
If you work at the Grand Rapids headquarters, what is your favorite Recovery Room Activity?
I work remotely so I miss all the Rec Room fun! LOL!
What has been your experience with SpendMend community service events?
I love the Bee Brave Breast Cancer 5k! Thank you for supporting this worthy cause… In honor and memory of my sister Julie Regnier McCoy I always contribute since I am not in Grand Rapids. I appreciate that we are raising money and awareness!
Do you want to shout out a co-worker who has helped or inspired you at SpendMend?
I absolutely owe my success to Nicole Thompson. She works incredibly hard and gives me so much support and sets me up on the back end for amazing call sequences and emails. She is AMAZING!!
What advice do you have for prospective candidates who want to join the SpendMend team?
Always be teachable and be a team player!
What has been your proudest accomplishment at SpendMend?
I love setting up enough meetings to consistently surpass my goals!
What is something you’re looking forward to for your future at SpendMend?
I want to always be a contributing member and make sure I exceed expectations!
