The Timeless Stories of Influential Women

Even though International Women's Day was March 8th, every day should be considered an opportunity to promote the cause of advancing the role of women in business and society. In that spirit, a number of Team Schein Members (TSMs) recently shared the influence of women who have impacted their lives.

I'll let their stories speak for themselves:

Gerry Benjamin, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer

“Children are the sum of what mothers contribute to their lives.” -Unknown

The above quote and the words that follow are drawn from my 2014 award dedication as a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. I dedicated that wonderful award to my mother, who was one of the most important and influential women of my life.

My mother, Francina, provided the love and dedication that set the foundation for the rest of my life. She was born on the island of Tortola, British Virgin Islands. She later immigrated to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands where she began to raise her family. Always a dreamer, she envisioned a better life for her children and sacrificed so much to provide those she loved with a future full of opportunity. In 1962, she finally moved her family to New York City in order to pursue her vision.

My mom was my hero and the epitome of what a strong woman can do. And although she never expected an award for all she did, she always deserved one.

I was so very lucky to have had such a wonderfully strong and amazing woman as my mother. And most importantly, I was fortunate to have learned and embraced all the important teachings she passed along to me.

Keith Drayer, Vice President and General Manager, Henry Schein Financial Services

“I’m so glad in this millennium, people don’t have to use initials to be taken seriously and can be professional and themselves at the same time.”

It was 1991 in New York City and I was working for a conglomerate multinational. It was a highly successful merchant bank, and at the time, I served as Treasury Manager, reporting to the CFO, Carolyn Hoffman. Carolyn had many more years of experience than I did and had a successful career at some of the most prestigious international banks.

I learned a lot from Carolyn that still resonates with me today (always do your diligence, have a work ethic that you are proud of, always take the high road). But, I learned a lot more than this. Through Carolyn’s career, she always signed her name ‘CB Hoffman’. She said while rising up through the ranks in banking and dealing with international financiers, when she signed her name as ‘Carolyn Hoffman’, people didn’t take her seriously or return her correspondence promptly. When she signed her name ‘CB Hoffman’, she had the opposite experience.

Fortunately, we treat co-workers and stakeholders much more respectfully today because of the trails blazed by women such as Carolyn Hoffman. People can use their full names and be treated as equals. Carolyn didn’t have that luxury. I spent four productive, beneficial years with Carolyn and learned to value everyone, no matter their background. Today, I have a great team and get to work with entrepreneurial customers and vendor partners. I’m so glad in this millennium they don’t have to use initials to be taken seriously and can be professional and themselves at the same time.

Bill Barr, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, U.S. Medical Group

“I thought at the time, she has invested in me to make this move, she will not let me fail, and more importantly I had clarity that I would NOT fail her.”

I met Mary Jo Miller when I was 23 years young and fresh into my first job with Professional Medical Products (“PMP”) located in Greenwood, South Carolina. PMP, as they were known, was a manufacturer of Incontinence, Wound Care and other specialty items sold to hospitals and nursing homes. 

I accepted the position right out of college with PMP to work in all departments of the plant, including marketing, product category management, and, of course the manufacturing line where the adult diapers and under pads were made. The idea was that when a sales position opened, I would transfer to the open territory and begin my selling career with a stronger knowledge of the business.

It was a Friday in November of 1985 when I got the call from Human Resources letting me know that a position in Miami, Florida just opened up. I was off to Miami or so I thought. Sunday night I received a call at home, cell phones were not available in 1985 if you recall. It was Jo Miller and she said she was flying to Greenwood the next day and she would like to meet with me. She was adamant about me reaching out to HR and telling them that Miami was not my destination. 

Jo had recently been promoted to the Regional Manager of the Southwest which included: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. She was previously a sales representative and prior to entering the field of sales served as an administrative assistant. She was from Detroit, Michigan, a single mom of two sons, an avid Lions and Tigers sports fan and had recently relocated to Dallas. She was tough, determined, and most importantly, she was smart! She knew what she needed to build an effective team in Texas, and for some reason, I, this young kid with no medical sales experience, was on her list. She had a plan on how to split the Dallas Fort Worth territory into two territories with one rep covering Dallas East and one rep covering Fort Worth West. She wanted me to cover the latter. She shared with me on the Sunday night call this was a plan of hers and she had some “selling” to do. Selling to her VP of Sales to create the position and selling me on Texas to keep me from being drawn to the beaches of South Florida. While I don’t know what she said to the VP of sales to gain his approval so quickly, I do recall her compelling case to me on why I should be on the first flight to Texas. After all, everything was bigger in Texas and Dallas had the cowboys and JR Ewing! To this day, I have no idea if that was a shot in the dark or if she actually knew I was a huge Cowboys fan and that I also had an affinity for JR.

Anyway, on to Dallas Fort Worth I went because I realized that she was extremely motivated to achieve success and she clearly had a plan for my career growth. She would be my champion and mentor. I thought at the time, she has invested in me to make this move, she will not let me fail and more importantly I had clarity that I would NOT fail her.

Initially, we made many sales calls together, provided in-services to multiple shifts at nursing homes and worked diligently to manage the distribution relationships. She was determined to get me trained and turn me loose, so she could focus on the next piece of her puzzle. Back then, I believe Jo was the only female sales leader with the company. The top three distributors were all managed by men, and mostly all of the Purchasing Agents in hospitals were indeed men. Only the Nursing home administrators were predominantly led by women. If this phased her, she never let you know it. She was about competing and moving up the sales rankings. I never recall Jo making gender an issue on anything. I realize now that she must have had motivations to do well in this predominately male led profession, but back then all I knew was we were going to win. Her success, and thus mine, would be built on preparation, knowing our products, demonstrating value and most of all creating lasting relationships. She was a tremendous listener and knew how to direct traffic, so to speak, to get things done. Getting things done meant hitting the monthly and annual goals, managing the distribution relationships and locking customers into long term agreements. I knew Jo had my back when I arrived in Dallas. She picked me up in my new company car, which traditionally were Four Door Cutlass Supremes. Not mine ... it was a new Two Door Cutlass Supreme with spoke wheels and looked great. She said “you have selling to do and living to do, let’s get to it! Oh and by the way, Welcome to Texas!”

I am a firm believer in paths forward, the fork in the road decision tree if you will, and I am convinced that the start that Mary Jo Miller gave me was the directional foundation for my professional career. Having her in my life, allowed me to have a better life. #WLN, #ALLIN, # gladtobehere.”