Beat the Experts beats expectations

The
Need er
Connecting our donors to our patients
Published in January 2011 for the employees of
LifeSouth Community Blood Centers
Beat the Experts beats expectations
The 2010 edition of Beat the Experts was so successful that it required a rule change to reward the top teams that connected
with 1,294 donors over six hours on New Year’s Eve, an all-time record for the event. “It was the best we’d ever done. The
weather was perfect and I had a blast,” said resident “expert,” Director of Recruitment and Retention Galen Unold.
Unold credited the hard work of the Suwannee Valley team for pushing the other teams. They fell just one donor short of
upsetting the Citrus team’s repeat victory, which drew 69 donors (three more than its total of 66 in 2009, which blew away
the competition). Their 2010 victory was no clean sweep, however.
Unold said that because of the success, any team with more than 60 donors was
awarded the prize of 25,000 STARS points per team member. Following Citrus was
Suwannee Valley with 68, followed closely by NEGA with 63 and GATL East with
62. See page four and five for more on the Beat the Experts competition.
Citrus Regional
Manager Kim Edwards
experienced her first
Experts competition and
was amazed.
“It was a great day, I
didn’t realize it was that
close,” she said. “I can’t
tell you how many people
came up to say what a
great team we had.”
Beat the Experts:
year by year
“Beat the Experts” challenge
in 2010 set a record. Here are
the totals since 2005:
2010 1,294
2009 1,161
2008 1,248
2007 1,108
2006 1,090
2005
909
The Citrus team included: Edwards, Lisa Powell,
Toni Monsegur, Jessica Santiago, Jasmine Toliver,
Jessica Wright, John Morris, Kevin Curry, Pam
Egnot and Rachel Shramek. Their secret for
success: cards and phone calls to remind donors, a
group of donors that have made it a New Year’s Eve
tradition, and burgers and dogs on the menu. “The
excitement was there,” Edwards said.
Beat the Experts Winners
CEO letter
New Timeclock
LifeSouth Airplane
Safety Woman
1
2
2
3
3
Karen Borden
Beat the Experts photos
Beat the Experts photos
The Best of Suwannee Valley
Profile: Katrina Medley
3
4
5
6
7
Lifelines
Operation Santa Delivery
NEGA Cord Blood
8
8
8
Letter from the CEO
In my first letter of the new year, I typically reflect on what has happened in the past and give a glimpse
of what is to come. This year, however, I will tell you something I don’t say often enough: thank you for
a job well done. Your work is extremely valuable. Every day, each of you plays a vital role in saving lives.
Sometimes, while my attention is focused on the technical aspects of our business (employee training,
validations, and meeting collection goals), I forget to celebrate the fact that thousands of people are alive in
2011 because of the work we do. We must remember to celebrate our victories.
Before joining LifeSouth, I worked in a hospital blood bank here in Gainesville, FL. We did it all;
connected with donors, tested samples, and sent the components to the doctors for use. One day, a
young man came into our emergency room, seriously injured from a gunshot wound. He’d accidentally
shot himself pulling his gun from his truck. It occurred to me that although the surgeon saved his life, he would never have had that
chance if the blood hadn’t been there when they rolled him into the emergency room. At LifeSouth, we must all work together to get
the components to the people who need them. Thank you for being a strong link that holds our chain of operations together. Even
though our chain is already pretty strong, I will continue to push you to do better, because people are depending on us.
Here at corporate, the new building is rapidly taking shape, and it’s great to hear that construction is now underway in
Montgomery and Huntsville.
I also want to briefly follow up on my email regarding the proposed merger of three of the larger community blood banks in South
Florida. The merger has the potential to be quite positive for those three organizations. LifeSouth is not really affected in any way
at this time. I have been in communication with executives of each blood bank, and I’ll continue to keep an eye on this situation
and let you know if anything significant develops.
Again, thank you for all of your hard work in 2010, and I’m looking forward to 2011.
Nancy Eckert
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sneak Preview: Enterprise eTime brings changes
Beginning in February, hourly employees at corporate will be
introduced to a new time clock and an updated system for
keeping track of their hours, requesting PTO and more.
The new system, Enterprise eTime, will replace the
current eTime system, and will eventually roll out to
all employees in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. While
employees and managers will get a full training session
on the new system prior to it going live, here is a
sneak preview of some significant changes that will be
coming:
Swipe and scan to clock in/out: Hourly employees
will still swipe in with a time card, but they’ll also
clock in with their index finger. A biometric reader
on each time clock will scan the finger to confirm the
employee’s ID.
able to check their hours and PTO on their computers. Missed
punches can be corrected by the employee (although this will
be the exception, not the rule).
Time card approval: Employees
will be responsible for approving
their timecards prior to payroll
processing. This can be done at the
time clock or via computer.
Goodbye to two forms: Since PTO
can now be requested at the time
clock or computer, the Request for
Employee Leave form will no longer
be used. Because missed punches
can also be corrected by employees,
the Employee Time Maintenance
Request form will no longer be used.
More info at the clock: When clocking in, employees
will be able to see their total hours for the pay
When the system rolls out,
Human Resources Generalist Susie
period, their total PTO and will be able to request
Enterprise
eTime will be explained in
Shewchuk taps her inner Vanna
White
to
show
us
the
new
time
clock.
PTO at the clock.
full, there will be an online training
session, and hourly employees will
Access/correction by computer: Employees will also be
receive assistance in getting set up.
New LifeSouth plane goes to work
When the sleek red, white and blue plane lifted off from the
Gainesville, FL runway at 7:30 p.m. on December 28, it was the
start of something new for LifeSouth.
At the controls of LifeSouth’s new
plane for its first evening run were Dr.
Michael Lukowski, a LifeSouth Board
of Directors Member, and his son Zach
Lukowski. Zach is one of the plane’s
regular pilots. In addition to being a
medical doctor and a professor at the
University of Florida, Dr. Lukowski
is Director of Air Operations for
University Air, whose pilots handle the
daily roundtrip flights from Gainesville
to Atlanta, Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile,
ferrying the samples for testing, blood components, cargo and
interoffice mail that keep all
of the communities served by
LifeSouth connected.
The 2010 Cessna 208B Super
Cargo Master replaces a 2003
version of the same model. Dr.
Lukowski said the new version
includes several improvements
that should make the nightly flight safer, faster and more
economical.
While, to its pilots, the new model handles identically to its
predecessor, it’s more aerodynamic, so its cruising speed is 7 to 8
knots faster. This improvement means the 1000-mile daily run
will take about 20 minutes less. The increase in speed and drop in
time has a major cumulative effect. “That results in thousands of
dollars a year in fuel savings,” Dr. Lukowski explained.
The old model had a pneumatic ice removal system that’s been
replaced by an “ice prevention” system that
“weeps” antifreeze over the prop, wings and
other surfaces. Ice buildup can degrade the
aerodynamic performance of the aircraft,
which can contribute to a crash. Dr.
Lukowski explained that on a recent flight,
ice buildup prompted the pilot to land in
Macon, GA before heading on to Atlanta.
“Icing in the winter is an issue we frequently
have to deal with,” Dr. Lukowski said.
Inside, the view for the pilot is considerably
different. Instead of dozens of
individual gauges, sensors on
the plane feeds data to three
different digital displays. “It’s a
completely modern avionics and
aviation management system,”
he explained.
One other major change on the new model is that it will have
the ability to expand from its normal two seats to four, giving
LifeSouth staff a travel option between locations.
And after the first run, Dr. Lukowski gave the new plane a great
review. “The new flight management systems performed so well
that I joked with the couriers that they might see the plane come
in without a pilot soon, and would have to unload it themselves,”
he said.
Borden has renewed
appreciation for blood donors
When North Alabama District Community
Development Coordinator Karen Borden stepped
into her office in early January, she knew she was in
for a challenge, since she hadn’t been there since early
December. But she also knew she could draw on an
extra bit of motivation in tackling her job. She hadn’t
planned on being one of LifeSouth’s best customers.
“If it wasn’t for our donors, I wouldn’t be here today. I know first-hand
just how important donating is,” Borden said.
When she went to the hospital emergency room on Dec. 6 with a
bleeding ulcer, she came close to bleeding to death. It took two surgical
procedures, seven units of blood, and a five-day stay in the hospital to
save her life. “There are blood donors here in North Alabama who saved
my life. I’ll never know who they are, all I can say is thanks,” Borden said.
It wasn’t the first time she’d faced such a close call. In April of 2008, that
same ulcer and fibroid tumors sent her to the hospital. She underwent
surgery and ended up receiving seven units of blood. “I’ve now received
14! I have no blood of my own left,” she said. “When I tell people
‘donating blood saves lives,’ that’s not just a line. I’m living proof of that.”
GREATER ATLANTA
Recruiter Jackie Hicks said it was a day unlike any other
she’s experienced. “People were just flocking in,” she
said. “They were coming to the tent before we ever got to
speak to them.”
It may have had something to do with the smell of
hot dogs on the grill; Hicks’ husband Dennis was
grillmaster for the day, and donated for the first time.
Hicks said cheerleaders from Youth Middle School
were there to root the donors on. Several local
restaurants donated gift certificates to further entice
donors at the Walmart in Loganville, GA. There was also a football
up for grabs autographed by Georgia Bulldog Coach Mark Richt. “This was my
hometown, my territory,” Hicks said. “The community came together and gave.” The team
included: Sam Hemphill, LaToya Gaines, J.B. Bowles, Marcia Jones, Ted Schwartz, Tamica
Jackson, Ulysses Beris, Jackie Hicks, Michael Becker, Sue Ashe and Faith Taylor.
Team GATL East is pictured above. Back row, left to right: Sam Hemphill, LaToya Gaines, J.B.
Bowles, Ted Schwartz, Tamica Jackson, Ulysses Beris and Jackie Hicks. Kneeling, Sue Ashe,
left, and Faith Taylor, right.
SOUTHERN CRESCENT
Team SOCR, left to right:
Adam Ward, Sheila Zachow,
Jil Osborne, Celina Bostic,
Melisa Brittian, Richard
Scott, Willie Keyes and
Jamila Arden.
Mobile Angels 2, back row, left
to right: Anya Hilton, Jennifer
Van Pelt, Jerry Keeling and
Staci White. Front row, Virginia
Boone, left, and Pat Tooker.
Mobile
Center
team,
back
row, left
to right: Jarmelya Simmons,
Natasha Spraggins and Fa’Kesia
Smith. Front row, Jerona Autrey, left
and Shelitha Gray, right.
Left to r
Stev
Bar
Left to right: CaSaundra
Alberty, Larry Fish and
Ronnell Mills with a donor.
CITRUS
Putting “Flopsy” the
on top of the bloodm
offered maximum v
Team Citrus, left t
Shramek, John M
Edwards, Pam Egn
Jessica Santiago, Kevin Cu
Northeast Georgia
In past Experts challenges, the
NEGA team had consistently
finished in the money, but in
2009 the switch to a different
location dropped the total to
36. Veteran Sondra WallaceFoster said this year the
move back to Dawsonville
helped boost the effort.
“This was our redemption
round,” she said. “We had a deeper
recruitment team, more experience. Everybody worked
together extremely well. The power of the people was more effective.”
The NEGA team included: Wallace-Foster, Tom Bemben, Therena Smith, Kathleen
Krueger, Erica Strickland, Elizabeth Higgins, Sandra Jones, Darlene Holly, Joseph Shank, Victor
Simental, Penny Lyday, April Stone and Josh Bohannon.
Team NEGA, left to right: Victor Simental, Kathleen Krueger, Sondra Wallace-Foster, Darlene
Holly, Elisabeth Higgins, Therena Smith, Erica Strickland and Tom Bemben.
MARION
right: Crystal Innes,
ven Tillery, Natasha
rutas, Becky Burton
and Calvin Green.
The team included: Mimbs, Tony Hudson, Barbie
Garcia, Amber Burress, Galen Unold, Christina Petty,
Rachelle Lilly, Jennifer Fox and Jessica Swartz.
Left to right: Tony Hudson, Barbie Garcia, Amber Burress, Galen
Unold, Christina Petty, Rachelle Lilly, Jennifer Fox and Jessica Swartz.
HERNANDO
Left to right: Kristiana DiPilla,
Ray Hill and Tatjana Prindle.
sky puppet
mobile
visibility.
to right: Rachel
Morris, Jessica Wright, Kim
not, Lisa Powell, Jasmine Toliver,
urry and Toni Monsegur.
Suwannee Valley
Timothy Mimbs, Suwannee Valley’s
Assistant Regional Manager, said
there was great teamwork and a
secret weapon – chili dogs.“It was
definitely a group effort. Everybody
knew their jobs and everybody was
firing on all six cylinders,” he said.
“We had a lot of first-time donors
and that helped a huge amount.”
NEWBERRY
Left to right: Katie Brooks,
Sarah Deatherage, and
Jennifer Sealey.
Best Place to See a Ghost: The
Hotel Blanche building’s third
floor has a ghost. The building,
which dates back to 1902, also
lays claim to being the home
of Florida’s oldest elevator, and
during its years as a hotel had
Al Capone and Johnny Cash on
the guest register.
Best Music Festival: Suwannee River
Jam at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park near Live
Oak pulls in some of the biggest names in country, and
the 20th anniversary edition is April
28-30. Not into country? Suwannee
Springfest on March 24-27 is a
roots music extravaganza, and the
riverside setting is wonderful.
Best Sausage: If you haven’t
heard of Nettle Sausage, put it on
your list of foods to discover in 2011.
This small home-grown company in
Lake City sells its tasty delight all over
the Southeast. It developed from a backyard pastime to a
multi-million dollar business that can’t be beat.
Best Place to Go Tubing: While
lots of rivers offer the joy of a
float on an inner tube on a
hot summer day, the famed
Ichetucknee (pronounced
Itch-a-TUCK-knee), a crystalclear tributary of the Santa Fe
River, is the best by far. The
spring water provides 72-degree
water year-round that can defeat any Florida dose of heat
and humidity. The clear water and tree-lined banks offer
a beautiful slice of natural Florida above
and below the water. It’s also great
canoeing in the winter.
Best Chili Dog: This one
isn’t for sale; it’s a treat only
LifeSouth donors and a few
friends of Recruiter Tony Hudson
know. The chili dogs have fueled
many successful blood drives. Tony
has his own secret recipe. Tums are the
official after-dinner mint of the Suwannee Valley Region.
Best Feud: Yes, folks in Alabama, there is one better
than Alabama vs. Auburn. The Suwannee Valley’s was
deadly. Columbia County Sheriff John C. Henry had
a long-running feud with Gus Potsdamer that on Jan.
27, 1880, came to a head when the good sheriff was
shot dead on Main Street in Lake City. Potsdamer was
sentenced to life in prison, but was pardoned and later
became sheriff of neighboring Suwannee County.
Best Place to Donate Blood: While
there’s sure to be others who
will make this bold statement
of being the best, Suwannee
Valley, LifeSouth’s second-oldest
location, isn’t afraid to stake its
claim. It opened Jan. 5, 1980, as
the Columbia County Blood Bank
and was the first branch outside of
Gainesville.
The Faces of
Suwannee Valley
Left to right: Randi Croft,
Lisa Turman and Jessika Schautz. Timothy
Mimbs, left, and Christina Petty Charlie Elwell,
left, and Desirea Ouellette. Left to right:
Rachelle Lilly, Tony Hudson, Jessica Swartz,
Jennifer Fox and Amber Burress. Regional
Manager Lorrie Woods has spent all 12 years of
her LifeSouth career in the region.
(Clockwise from top middle)
Medley is a Wiregrass original who likes what she does
When the Wiregrass Region opened
in 2003, Katrina Medley was one
of the original five staff members to
open the doors - except the door had
wheels under it. “We just had the
one bus. We didn’t even collect in the
center,” she recalled.
She calls herself a “military brat”
who lived all over the world before
her family settled in South Alabama
in 1969. From her former jobs
as a hairdresser and 16 years as a
phlebotomist at a local hospital, she
knew lots of people and plenty about
finding veins and drawing blood, but
still the new job delivered a surprise.
“I really, really loved I was helping
people, and I was doing it through
healthy people,” she said.
Katrina Medley
Title: Wiregrass Assistant Regional Manager
Family: Husband Donnie, son Travis Fondren,
stepchildren Stephanie Medley, Jimmie Lee Medley,
and Jason Medley, his wife Katie and their 2-yearold son Logan. All live in the area.
What’s playing on her car stereo? The Eagles,
Van Morrison or a country station
Book she’s read recently and enjoyed: Cross
Fire by James Patterson. She loves to read, and
Patterson, Debbie Macomber and Danielle Steel
are among her favorites.
Movie seen recently she enjoyed: Avatar, she says,
gave her a “warm fuzzy feeling.” She’s watched National Lampoon’s
Vacation more times than she can count and would rate it her all-time favorite.
TV program she enjoys: House
Good advice she’s received: “Your choices, your attitude and the life you live
are the legacy you leave,” from Slocomb High School Principal Zelma Chitty.
Restaurants to recommend: McLin’s Kitchenette in Daleville, AL has
awesome seafood. She recommends the platter for two, which comes with
“everything,” including whole catfish, shrimp, oysters, clams and more.
Medley’s hospital work had taken its
toll. She found herself drawing blood
from sick babies and from the elderly
who had so few visitors that she would occasionally use her lunch hours to visit or read to them. “I’m not one of those
people who could leave it at work; I took it home,” she said.
The new job also offered a lesson about blood transfusions she didn’t get at the hospital. She remembered working in the
emergency room and putting arm bands on trauma patients who needed blood. “Blood doesn’t always fall out of the sky,
and a blood bank arm band doesn’t mean there’s blood for that person,” she said.
She’s worked toward making sure that hasn’t been the case since LifeSouth came to town. March 1, 2007, she recalls, was
one of her most memorable days on the job. It’s a day few who live in the Wiregrass Region will ever forget. That day, a
tornado crushed a portion of Enterprise High School, killing eight students. Residents channeled their shock and grief by
lining up to donate blood. Medley was off work that day, taking her son to get his driver’s license, but came right in, still
in the t-shirt and shorts she was wearing. She put on a white lab coat and went to work. “It was awesome. They were just
everywhere,” she said.
While Medley was touched by the outpouring, it was also upsetting. “Why does it take a public tragedy for people to
donate like they should?”
Cherelle Whiters, the Wiregrass Center Team Leader, arrived just a few months after the opening and has worked with
Katrina since then. “She was the happiest tech I’ve ever come across,” Whiters said. “No matter what the days are like, she
always tries to put her best foot forward. If there’s anything to be done, she jumps in.”
In addition to being a hard worker, Whiters says Katrina is a skilled listener. “She’s a good friend; if you ever need
someone to talk to, she’s there,” Whiters said.
In the region, she’s also famous for her blueberries and her blueberry pies. According to Whiters, when the pies arrive
in the center, they don’t last long. In addition to baking, her outside interests include antiquing and reading. Most of
the time when she’s not at work, Katrina has her nose in a book. She reads about three each week. She and her husband
Donnie live on four acres with a garden and fruit trees just outside of town. He works offshore with a three weeks onthree weeks off schedule. She also has a special little buddy who keeps her company: Tassie, her 11-year old Pekingese
Shih Tzu combo, aka ‘Peki-Tzu.’ Whether it’s in the house, visiting neighbors or rolling around the property on a golf cart,
the two are always together.
“She’s a mama’s girl. She loves wearing her dresses and sweaters, and she thinks the golf cart is hers,” Katrina said.
LifeLines
In Baldwin, Regional Manager Shelley Asmus had lots
of good news to share. He notes that Misty Busbee
was promoted from Center Team Leader to Center
Team Captain and Monica Byrd was promoted to
Mobile Team Leader. Baldwin Donor Services Specialist
Rachael Sexton is expecting her first child in August
and Baldwin Mobile Team Captain Jennifer Stuart
recently closed on her first house.
Across the bay in Mobile Regional Director Laura
Ghoulame reports that Tanisha Turner, who has been
with LifeSouth since 2007, was promoted to Resource
Management Supervisor.
Hannah Carpenter, a first grader at Redland
Elementary School
and daughter of
Montgomery Branch
Director Sharon
Carpenter and
husband Jon, made
Elisha Luke and Andrea Dowdell
the A/B honor roll.
NEGA Cord Blood has
gangbusters start
With cord blood collection starting Dec. 6 at LifeCord’s newest
location, Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, the
hospital staff and the LifeSouth operations staff that supported the
effort had an incredible start.
In the first month, new parents in Northeast Georgia were able to
donate 148 cord blood units that offer hope to patients needing
marrow transplants.
“They blew our expectations out of the water,” said Cellular Therapy
Manager Amy Lambert. “Their commitment to the program, the
way they’ve embraced it, is inspiring.”
LifeSouth LifeSavers Team Captain Andrea Dowdell,
right, is all smiles, celebrating the promotion of Elisha
Luke, left, as Mobile Team Leader in East Alabama.
Operation Santa Delivery
Operation Santa Delivery is much more than an
a helicopter drop-in by Mr. Claus - it’s games, food, face
painting, a petting zoo and more.
(Top left)
(Bottom left)
Little Collyns Froman, shown here with dad Russ,
went Hollywood for her first
Santa encounter.
(Bottom right) A crowd of
nearly 2,000 kids and
parents were on hand for
Operation Santa Delivery
in Gainesville, including the
man of the hour (meeting
here with a future donor).
(Top left) Cellular
Therapy Recruiter
DiAnn McCormack
can’t be accused of not
being on the ball.
(Top right) The staff at Northeast Georgia Medical Center gave LifeCord an
enthusiastic welcome. Not only are they supportive of the mission, they are
fun to work with.
(Middle) Cellular Therapy Manager Amy Lambert traveled from Gainesville,
FL, to Gainesville, GA, to help get the collections off to a good start.
(Bottom) Northeast Georgia Medical Center kept the LifeSouth staff busy,
LSeft to right, Damonique Hathaway, Yolanda Bolanos, Rachel Booth,
Kristen McCarter, Sondra Wallace-Foster and Tom Bemben.