We have a fascinating team member to introduce you to this month. Her name is Vivian Villanueva, and she has an interesting life story.
Early Years
Vivian was born in New York but grew up in Puerto Rico. And, today she lives in Minnesota and works as an Assistant Production Supervisor in our St. Paul, MN office. How did she make her way to Minnesota from New York and Puerto Rico you might ask? Let’s find out…
After graduating from high school in Puerto Rico, Vivian went to college to become a Surgical Technologist and then went on to become a registered nurse. She wanted to work in a field where she could help people directly and she felt like being a nurse was a great way to make an impact.
She ended up being a registered Operating Room nurse for seven years. You can tell just from talking to her that she has a strong empathy for people and would be good with people going through some of the most trying times of their life.
Relocating to Minnesota
She met her husband in Puerto Rico, and during this time, they had three children. Ultimately, they decided there were more employment opportunities in the continental U.S. So, she and her husband started researching good places to raise kids where the cost of living wasn’t too high and where there were good job prospects. That led them to Minnesota. Not exactly palm trees and sandy beaches, but a great place to live and raise a family.
Her husband landed there first and found a job. Then a month or so later, Vivian and their three kids joined him. At the time, their kids were 4, 10, and 14.
As any parent can attest, moving kids at any age can be tough, especially a big move like that from Puerto Rico to Minnesota. As a result, Vivian committed the next two years to making sure her kids got settled into their new lives and acclimated to new schools, new friends, and a new culture — not to mention new temperatures!
Surgical Technologies 🡪 Pro-Tech Design
Once the kids felt settled, she started looking for job opportunities nearby. She wanted to stay in the healthcare field and a friend recommended Surgical Technologies, Inc (STI), which has since been acquired by Pro-Tech Design. It was a family-owned contract packaging company that specialized in medical device assembly, packaging, and sterilization. She was hired to work on a new project as an assembly worker in one of the cleanrooms.
That was eight years ago, and since that beginning, she has proven her value and has been promoted several times. She is now the Assistant Production Supervisor in Minnesota and oversees forty-eight people!
Empathetic Leader
Her responsibilities include making sure the production line is running smoothly, looking for efficiencies, setting up work schedules, and running payroll for her team. One of the biggest challenges is communicating effectively to everyone on the team. She manages team members from many cultures who speak many different languages. For example, there are people on the team from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Mexico, and Minnesota, and Vivian’s job is to manage and coach this diverse team and make them a cohesive, connected group.
Having immigrated to Minnesota herself, she can empathize with others in similar situations, and she is a strong communicator who cares for her team. Also, having worked as an OR nurse, she has seen very stressful situations and is able to put the day-to-day challenges of her job into perspective.
She is also able to communicate the larger purpose behind the work. Some may see the role of a cleanroom assembler as a repetitive task, but she makes sure to remind them that the device they are assembling will eventually be implanted inside a patient. Vivian and her team take pride in their role in helping that patient lead a better life. She challenges the team and asks them “What if that patient was your mother, or sister, or child? Wouldn’t you want someone like you making sure that device is assembled with particular care and skill?”
Her passion for the outcome and her ability to communicate the larger purpose to a very diverse team makes Vivian an invaluable member of the Pro-Tech family.
Outside of Work
When not at work, Vivian loves to spend time with her family and is an avid hiker. She’s been to multiple national parks, with a favorite being Glacier National Park. She doesn’t even mind the Minnesota winters anymore!
Vivian, thank you for all that you do for Pro-Tech. Your commitment, passion, and enthusiasm make you a key part of the company and we feel privileged to have you on the team.