"Over my 20+ year journey, I went from stores, to HR, to procurement, to benefits, to marketing, to healthcare. Where else can you get an experience like that at a singular company?"
What’s your H-E-B story?
A little over 20 years ago, I was nearing my graduation date from Texas A&M University with a Nutrition degree and entertaining some job offers I’d received after a career fair I’d attended. While I had several great offers, my dad encouraged me to accept the offer from H-E-B since people will always need groceries – so I would have built in job security.
Well, today, I know the right choice was made!
I took the job with H-E-B and haven’t looked back. Starting in SORL, my first assignment was at our Austin 25 store – so I found myself in UT Longhorn territory! My first day, I showed up in heels and a collared shirt, ready to work. Almost immediately I was handed a box cutter and a red H-E-B button-down shirt and was told to go stock some shelves, and “maybe, don’t wear that outfit again”.
So, that was the first day of my H-E-B journey.
That sounds like quite the first day experience! What did your journey look like after that?
For the next three years, I learned the ropes of leadership at H-E-B by managing a variety of stores in Austin and working for some amazing leaders like John Flores, Phyllis Jones, Reb Burgert, and so many others. After my store rotations ended, I helped our college recruiting efforts, which landed me back at A&M!
One day, I’m sitting at a table on campus next to Roxanne Orsak and Chad Madison, recruiting new talent to join our ranks. Unbeknownst to me, I was also being recruited! And the next thing I knew, I was moving to San Antonio to become a buyer.
I moved down to San Antonio and participated in the very first Buyer Bootcamp —a 90-day track that involved learning the buyer organization and how to run categories. Following this incredible experience, I was handed my first big desk — haircare! Over the next few years, I’d get into buying for all categories in our Beauty department and most categories within our Drugstore. I had so much fun!
From buying, I did a brief stint in Benefits, where I opened our first clinic off Rittiman Road, and Health & Wellness Marketing where I led the Slimdown Showdown program. After this, I went back to procurement as a beauty buyer. One day, I got a visit from Brooke Brownlow, who I’d already worked with in Benefits. She asked if I wanted to come help expand our Clinics business, and I eagerly said “Yes” to make an impact in people’s lives and to also get to work with a leader like Brooke again
Now, I have the immense privilege of leading H-E-B Wellness. Not just expanding our clinics but also influencing the food side of the business to really bring food and medicine together to impact the lives of Texans. And I’m finally using my Nutrition degree!
Tell us a little more about H-E-B Wellness Primary Care and what makes them so unique?
The way H-E-B does Primary Care is truly unique. Our goal is to provide the highest level of care for our Partners and Customers. We’re in four regions now, the most recent being the Gulf Coast region, and are working on an expansion into the Border region. When I learned how limited healthcare is in Corpus, it really emphasized the reason why we are doing this, which is to make great care accessible to all Texans, starting with our Partners and their families first.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
There’s a lot - but truly it’s the impact you can have each day. From helping someone navigate through a hospital experience, to hiring others to help do the same and build a meaningful career, we’re truly making an impact across the state of Texas! That’s something I see every day. I’m also involved in the hiring of our clinic staff, so bringing on these amazing people with unique talents and helping them feel supported to take care of our communities is so rewarding.
How do you feel your contributions are valued?
This company does such a great job of saying ‘Thank You!’ and showing acts of gratitude. I truly feel valued every day at this company, especially knowing that I’m a part of a life-changing mission for our Partners, customers, and the communities we serve.
On the clinic side, the feedback we hear from Partners and customers who use our clinics is incredibly valuable. The average healthcare score in the industry is around 30 (on a scale of Negative 100 to Positive 100), but our clinics consistently hover around 90! This is something we are super proud of and is a true reflection of our model and the type of care we give! It’s a constant reminder that the work we do is meaningful.
What’s next for you?
We are continuing to work on incorporating Wellness into the DNA of our culture. Our customers and Partners have come to learn that our clinics offer a unique apart in the healthcare space, so we need to make sure we’re not only maintaining that but exceeding it. Which really comes down to hiring and retaining great people at our clinics.
Beyond that, I really want our customers to see H-E-B as a wellness destination. Between the food we sell in our stores, our nutrition services, and the Wellness Primary Care Clinics, we are perfectly positioned to offer incredible products and resources to our customers no matter their circumstances. Whether they’re just trying to eat healthier, help a child with allergies, or manage a chronic disease, we want to be their one-stop shop for all their wellness needs.
What’s been a memorable moment at H-E-B for you?
Every time we open a clinic! From the day we opened our first clinic on Rittiman Road, every grand opening of a clinic since then has carried with it that same spirit. It’s so cool to see everyone gathered around a shared mission like that.
What advice would you give others about working for H-E-B?
Roxanne Orsak once said to me, “take the opportunity where you have the chance to learn the most.” And that has really stuck with me all these years. It’s easy and comfortable to stay where you already have the knowledge and experience, but real growth happens when you take an opportunity in an area you know less about. So, go where you have the opportunity to learn the most!
Also, while I initially thought H-E-B wanted me for my nutrition degree, I’m convinced they really wanted me for my attitude and work ethic. Over my 20+ year journey, I went from stores, to HR, to procurement, to benefits, to marketing, to healthcare. Where else can you get an experience like that at a singular company? So, I think the lesson there is to have a great attitude, go the extra mile, and be open to what’s next and the opportunities will open for you. It really is a place where you can have one company with many careers – I am a true testament to that!
