From New Hire To Manager: How One Employee Advanced Her Career By Growing A Department

Team Solutions Dental is obsessed with growing its people. We are excited to share the many stories of growth and career advancement with you through this platform. A few weeks ago we talked about Heather MacLean and her journey after Team Solutions formed the Instructional Designer Role. 

Now meet Emi Boardman, our Procurement and Compliance Manager. She has been a part of the TSD Team for almost 5 years! When Emi first applied and interviewed for TSD as a courier,  the department of Procurement and Inventory did not exist. But after her interview process and seeing the talent and skills Emi brought to the TSD table- the Procurement and Inventory department was created!

The Procurement and Inventory department is in charge of ensuring operational efficiency, from sourcing external goods and services to managing the laboratory’s inventory.  

Currently at TSD, we utilize the Zimbis Inventory Management system to ensure efficiency, however, it did not start out this way. Let’s take a trip back down memory lane…

On December 12th 2013, Team Solutions Dental opened for business with 4 employees, 1 client and 2 cases to take on. By January 1st 2018, TSD relocated to a larger building to support their expanding staff of 54 and ever-increasing clientele which raised to 308 as of May 2018! Due to the rapid growth in demand and an expansion of our customer base, additional resources were needed to provide the necessary support. To accommodate this, we reallocated some of our staff's responsibilities, enabling them to focus on the tasks they were best equipped and skilled for.

Emi initially started by lightening the workload of  one employee, who had been responsible for the tasks in a variety of departments including Procurement, Finance, and HR at the time. Throughout the company's growth, Emi was given more responsibilities within the realm of Procurement until it eventually became her sole domain.

In August of 2021, three years after beginning her career journey at TSD, Emi was promoted to Procurement and Compliance Manager! She states, “My position in the company grew as I became more adjusted to the work, gained the proper knowledge of how we wanted the job done, and understood all the requirements to do so.”

Jason was confident that he had selected the perfect employee for the job – and his faith was proved correct. "I needed something from the stockroom, so I called Emi as she wasn't there that day and I didn't know how she had it organized. When I asked her where something was, she answered, 'As you enter, it's on the right, third shelf back, second from the top, at eye level.' She even gave me GPS coordinates to find exactly what I needed via text. When I looked at the text, I said, 'If this is accurate, she is bad-ass.' I went and it was exactly where she said it would be.”

Team Solutions has been incredibly successful in bringing new talent to the team and finding people to fit perfectly into the roles they need. A year ago, the need for an extra set of hands to help Emi arose, and the search for a Procurement Assistant began until TSD found Selena Hernandez. Selena is grateful to be under Emi's wing as she learns more about the Procurement and Inventory process. "I hadn't worked in a position like this before, and while I was training and watching Emi work, I didn't think I could keep up. However, seeing Emi's motivation inspired me to strive harder and stay in this position and environment that I really enjoy."

TSD is obsessed with bringing along eager learners because we have things we want to teach! We excel in finding specific skills each individual possesses and ensuring they are utilizing and expanding them to their best abilities so they are in the best position within the company that they can be in.

This year has been a thrilling one for Emi and the Procurement and Inventory department! From implementing a new inventory management system, to breaking down walls and building new ones to create the new Procurement and Inventory office to launching the company food truck, Emi has been hard at work. With all these exciting developments, who knows what the future holds for the company in the coming years? As Emi says, “The sky’s the limit!!”

Looking for new ways to efficiently improve our workflow TSD began a transition into implementing our ZIMBIS Inventory Management System, which Emi oversaw, working 12-hour days and weekends to complete the transition and train employees on the new system Although the process was challenging in a matter of a month the team was able to organize and streamline our inventory process. 

Switching over to this system has been a success for Emi and the team, it has allowed Emi to track our inventory in real-time, and gives the ability to quickly identify any discrepancies or potential issues with our stock. In return she is able to make more informed decisions about our inventory and allows a better and more efficient management of resources.

The biggest value Emi has had to practice has been, “Embrace Change”. Moving a former office into a new one forced Emi to embrace the change and adapt quickly to her new circumstance so production flow would not be jeopardized. It’s not every day you see a company expanding the building by creating a new office but we are eager to reward the development of our people and find new ways to grow! Our Facilities Team worked diligently to complete the project in record time, beginning the project in March and finalizing it in under a month! Thanks to their hard work, Emi now has a well-equipped office where staff can easily access inventory and supplies.

One of Emi's current projects she is looking forward to the most is getting the Hungry Lab Food Truck up and running! As if we couldn't find even more ways to channel another one of our Team Member Culture and Values - “Create fun and character” - our President and Co-Founder, Jason Defranco, began a company food truck, which has been a delicious addition to the lab. Jason was growing increasingly frustrated with watching the parade of high priced food delivery companies dropping food off to his employees. He knew they were paying an astronomical amount in delivery fees and it bothered him.  One day, he walked into the lab and proclaimed “I’m thinking about getting a food truck”.  By the end of that business day, a food truck had been purchased.  Now, it’s ready for use and you will likely see Jason cooking up some masterpieces for the whole laboratory!

Emi raves about working for TSD stating her favorite part is the teamwork and the passion the company has to help people. She feels her and Jason have a similar thought process, “It’s nice to have someone who understands how my brain works; not to mention the knowledge he brings to the company as a whole.” 

She offers her guidance to anyone aspiring to enter this field or to advance into a leadership role., “Stay positive, focused, honest, and driven. If you put in the work, you will see a return.” 

Emi is a shining example of the power of dedication and hard work. Team Solutions holds fast to its Organizational Values, one of which is to "Reward commitment at all levels". Emi's unwavering commitment to the company, from its humble beginnings with 50 employees to its current size of 104 (and growing), has been instrumental in our success. We are proud of the work we do here every day, and even more proud of those talented individuals who have chosen to work alongside us every day!