Her Story
About Milissa
I work for a tool manufacturer in central Minnesota as one of two buyers in the company. My role is incredibly diverse and fast-paced, covering everything our company needs to function, from office supplies to manufacturing chemicals, paint, and shipping supplies for both domestic and international shipping. I deal with a lot of traffic in my area, with everyone needing something right now, so staying on the ball is critical. A significant part of my work involves coordinating with outside vendors for outsourcing services like painting and plating. I line up tools from production, get them sent out to external vendors, and then work to bring them back into the company so they can be assembled and shipped to our customers within the required timeframe. This requires constant communication with outside vendors, our production team, planners, assemblers, and our shipping department. The adversity I deal with often comes from working with these outside vendors and ensuring everything flows smoothly through the entire process. I have to stay very current with what is going on throughout our company and where our suppliers are at to make everything function properly.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Milissa
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Really learn from others, you know, get to know the business from the front end to the back end. Your role really is to take care of the business, and when you're in a smaller business, you deal with the gamut of anything from the front end to the back end of the business. Really learning what everyone does and why they do it is very important, because if you don't understand sometimes an ask, it's really hard to give them what they need. I've worked for large companies and I've worked for small companies, and the scope of what you handle can vary greatly depending on the size and structure of the organization.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty goes a long ways, even if you make a mistake. Own up to it, because the sooner you know about it, can correct it, or learn from it, the better off everyone is. Details in what you do and how you do it matter. Owning up to your mistakes and what you do well, not so much bragging, but being clear about what you can do makes a big difference in proving yourself, especially when you're starting in a new role. Integrity is important to me. I'm not trying to be something that I'm not. This is me, this is who I am. Being true to yourself and being true to others, not trying to hide my skills or pretend I can do something that I can't. I value a good working relationship. There's not an I in this business, it's a team. Being diversified and working through adversity is key, because there are definitely people that are hard to work with, but you figure out how to deal with and work with others. I can work with anybody, including vendors, customers, and co-workers. Being adverse and knowing how to deal with people is a big one.
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