Christine Ingrassia

I attribute my success to the incredible people I've surrounded myself with and the relationships I've built over 30 years in this industry. When I won the 2025 Circle of Excellence Award, placing me in the top 10 sales managers nationally at MWI Animal Health, I felt like that really symbolized my skill set in relationship building and working with everyone, because that success was because of the team that I worked with. The biggest impact on my career came from working with very good veterinarians and surrounding myself with people in the veterinary sales community who pushed me to grow. My time at the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind was also pivotal because they helped build up my public speaking skills, which combined with my veterinary and nursing background to make me more effective. I think it's important that over the years, I got better and better because you have to have an open mind and know that you can always learn more, and you need to be open to change. Adaptability is definitely a big one for me. As a single mother raising my son since he was five, I learned that self-motivation isn't optional, and having a strong family support system made it possible to succeed in this demanding career with long days and travel. People who know me, whether family, friends, or industry associates, tell me that no matter what happens, I'm always going to be good and on top because of who I am. I'm there to succeed, to help, and to guide, and you have to build a good rapport and reputation to make that happen.

Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of being shaped by extraordinary mentors and colleagues. My time with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind was particularly transformative. It was there that I honed my public speaking skills and learned the power of storytelling — how sharing a mission can inspire action and mobilize support. I was honored to receive recognition for fundraising efforts, but more importantly, I gained a deeper understanding of service and community.

You definitely need to have self-motivation, and you want to be very positive and a go-getter. People think it's easy because some of us have been doing this a while and we make it look easy, but it's not easy. The best advice I can give is do your work, get to know people, learn from everyone you meet, and be innovative. Be adaptable, because that's how you grow. And you have to surround yourself with very inspiring and smart, strong people. I'm a single mother, and I was lucky I had a good family support system when my son was five and I was building my career. As a single parent, it's even harder to do this type of career because you're always out, you have long days, and you're traveling. So you really need to have a strong support system and know what you want to do, and then you can succeed. It's better to say 'I have to look into that' and get the proper information than to act like you know it all. And follow-up is very, very important. People don't know how to follow up and respond anymore, which is very interesting. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you can't, just say you can't. There's always something to learn, there's always something you can learn from, and you can always build yourself.

There are always challenges in this industry, and one of the biggest is competition. You have to always stay on your A-game and make sure you're aware of changes and what's going on out there. You have to be very positive and reassuring, and make sure you're bringing value to your clients. Don't ever act like you know it all. It's better to say 'I have to look into that' and get the proper information. Follow-up is very, very important, and a lot of people don't know how to follow up anymore, which is very interesting. Even simple responses, people don't know how to follow up and respond anymore. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you can't, just say you can't. People don't know how to start and end conversations properly. We're always going through training at this company, and I think that's very important because there's always something to learn, there's always something you can learn from, and you can always build yourself.

I try to be the same person professionally and personally, and the positive attributes that matter most to me are follow-up and integrity. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you can't, just say you can't. People don't know how to follow up and respond anymore, and that's something I take very seriously. I'm Long Island born and raised, and I've always had good family support, which was crucial when I became a single mother and my son was five years old. He's 22 going on 23 now, and building a successful career while raising him taught me that self-motivation is essential and positivity is a discipline you have to maintain. Adaptability is definitely a big value for me because there's always something to learn, there's always something you can learn from, and you can always build yourself. I think it's important that over the years, I got better and better because you have to have an open mind and know that you can always learn more, and you need to be open to change. I try to stay involved in my community, whether that's the Long Island veterinary community or continuing to volunteer with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and helping animal shelters wherever I can. People who know me, whether family, friends, or industry associates, say that no matter what happens, I'm always going to be good and on top because of who I am. I'm there to succeed, I'm there to help, I'm there to guide, and you have to build a good rapport and a good reputation to make that work.