Cheers to 40 years! Celebrating four decades of 3M Health Information Systems - Part 5

Hooray for 40 years! Our many teams across of 3M Health Information Systems (HIS) make great things happen every day. We celebrate every 3Mer and their efforts to provide the best technology solutions and services to our clients each day. 

We couldn’t do it without the amazing individuals that call 3M HIS their professional home. Read on to discover how one 3Mer’s experience at HIS is truly a family affair. 

Name: Tressa Coleman 

Job title: Senior account executive 

Years at 3M: 21 years 

Tell us about your role and background? How did you become a 3Mer? How long have you been with the company?  

Well, it's a family connection. I've been around 3M HIS for 36 years if you really get down to it.  

In 1987, my mom began working for 3M HIS in sales. And because of the direction of her career path, when I went to college, I got my degree in marketing with an emphasis in sales. She and her colleagues and friends supported and encouraged me through that journey. My mom knew of an opportunity to work with 3M HIS but kept it to herself. Her boss at the time, George Sears, told me about it. I applied for it, was qualified, and got the job on my own. I later found out that Mom kept it a secret because it meant me moving away from my hometown of Kansas City to Salt Lake City. I moved to Salt Lake City, not knowing a single person.  

I started in inside sales. There were 10 of us plus our manager; we all worked in the Murray, Utah, office on the third floor in little cubes that no longer exist. I was in that role for about four years, then became an account manager for about a year and a half. Then, I became an outside sales rep and account executive in 2008, and I've been in this role ever since.  

My mom's tenure at 3M HIS was 21 years before she retired. Seven years in outside sales, seven years in national accounts and seven years as a manager. A very well respected 3Mer in our organization. She left big shoes for me to fill in 21 years. 

I thought I'd be here for two years tops. It's now been an incredible 21 years for me so far.  

What types of changes have you experienced/witnessed during your tenure at 3M HIS? 

As much as technology has changed, what has stayed the same is our relationships with our customers. That has helped me succeed in my career – focusing on and caring for our customers. And that's been my motto. I think that's why 3M HIS has been so successful over the past 40 years - granted, we have quite the team that puts out an unbelievable product for our customers to use and for our sales team to sell.  

Our clients are in so many different places, and stuff is thrown at them so fast that they need partners, trusted advisors to help them navigate through all the change that gets thrown upon them monthly, quarterly and annually. When you have solid relationships, they can pick up the phone or email you and say, "Hey, what's this about?" I think that's where 3M has been powerful – in nurturing our client relationships.  

It's been a roller coaster ride through technology changes. Thinking about the evolution from pagers to smartphones and what that was like - our technology provides some of the same challenges and fantastic adventures, but helping clients overcome obstacles is something I'm passionate about. My relationships with our clients are the best part of my career. I will take that with me for life. 

Describe what 3M HIS means to you in one sentence. 

How about a paragraph? Haha! Because of everything that 3M is, from being an outstanding company to a highly ethical organization, knowing that I work for a company that's going to do the right thing, care for its employees, and treat its people right is exceptional. The tenure of our sales teams is impressive, with many of them with 20+ years under their belts. 

3M has been part of my life for 36 years – I see myself as a 3Mer for life. 

We are honored to feature a few individuals who are a part of a fantastic group who have shared their expertise and talent to help 3M HIS thrive over the years. Click here to read more stories of 3Mers as we celebrate 40 years of 3M HIS! 

Tressa Coleman is a senior account executive with 3M Health Information Systems.