Her Story
About Tressa
My career journey has been built on a foundation of customer service and a genuine love for working with people. I started in bookkeeping and income tax preparation, serving the general public for almost 20 years before transitioning into healthcare administration. I spent 8 years working in the insurance and credit department at a hospital in Andrews, then moved to Odessa Medical Center as accounts receivable office manager. For the past 10 years, I've been with the environmental lab in Midland, where I serve as sample custodian and office manager. In this role, I'm the first point of contact for customers bringing in soil, oil, and water samples for analysis. I handle everything from sample intake and determining what analysis they need, to managing all the paperwork, ordering supplies including glassware and chemicals, and taking care of invoicing. What really drives me is my relationship with my customers - I know them all by name, I know their families, and they have my cell phone number so they can reach me on weekends or after hours if they need something. My father, who was a hospital administrator, instilled in me the importance of respecting people regardless of their walk of life, and that foundation has shaped how I approach every interaction. I believe that customer service is about more than just doing your job - it's about making people feel valued and appreciated, and I take great pride in going above and beyond to make sure every person who walks through our door gets 100% of my attention and care.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tressa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to hard work and family. Family is such a key thing - it's so important that your family is with you and backs you in what you do, that they support you. You're not getting knocked down when you have that support, and you can flourish as long as you're happy and your family is supportive in everything you do. And of course, it's just hard work too. You really have to put in the work to be able to get to the point that you are at. Those would be the two things I think are really important - having a supportive family behind you and being willing to do the hard work it takes to succeed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to be pleasant, even when things are really bad. Always be pleasant. Things can always be worse, so be pleasant and make your daily experiences happy. There's no reason to be angry about everything - be happy. And once again, make sure you love what you do. If you love what you do, there's not ever going to be a really disappointing time in your life. You'll pass it on to your children and grandchildren one day too. When they see that you are happy and that you want to give them the very best, that's what they'll want too. The best way to teach them is to see it - if they see you being happy and pleasant, then they're going to have a chance of doing it too. So always set an example and show that you really love and appreciate everything that you do. My dad always said you get a lot more with honey than you do vinegar, and he was right - it's always better to be nice and caring to people.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice would be to be steady. Stay steady. That would be the big thing. Make sure you love what you do - that would be the biggest advice I would give them. Make sure you choose something that you will love doing for the rest of your life, because you're going to be doing it for the rest of your life. Be sure to know that you love it and that that's what your calling is. If you don't love what you're doing, you're going to struggle, but if you find something you're passionate about, you'll be able to thrive in it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field right now is the constant change. Everything is changing - the laws change constantly with TCEQ and the Railroad Committee. Things change frequently, and different states are different. We work with New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas, and all the states are different, and everybody's changing constantly. They're constantly evolving, wanting different analysis done, new stuff, new technology, new equipment. There are so many different fields in this type of work - metals, BTEX, TPH, chlorides, all wet chem - everything is so different and it evolves constantly. The technology just changes and you have to keep up with the technology. We have to stay on top of it and meet all the state requirements, and sometimes it's challenging. But thankfully we have a bunch of good analysts who really know their stuff, so that helps.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is the most important value to me - 100%. You can't get along in life without honesty. You've got to be honest - if you're struggling, you need to talk about it. You need to tell people so you can get the help you need or get advice. There's nothing wrong with asking somebody for help if you don't understand something. Just ask. It's easier to ask and learn what you need to be doing than to play like you know when you really don't, and then you really mess things up. Always ask for help - that's something a lot of people won't do, but there's nothing wrong with asking for help. Being honest about what you know and what you don't know, and being willing to reach out when you need support, is essential to success in both work and life.
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