People are the chemistry: Chrissy Leslie
At Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories, we believe that our people provide our strength. Their dedication to quality, professional competence and hard work is the key element in the company’s success. In this regular feature, we introduce you to some of the people who have helped make Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories an industry leader.
Most great leaders know they are only as good as their team, and this is emblematic of Chrissy Leslie. As the Manager of the Pharmaceutical Product Testing and Glassware Groups, Chrissy finds working with her team of 50 people to help clients get their products to the marketplace very rewarding. “The people I work with--no matter what role they are in--are very dedicated to the success of our clients,” says Chrissy. “And there is such variety of testing, methods, products and projects, we are continuously tasked to tap into individual strengths, pull together as a team and rise to the challenges our clients present to us,” she says. “This makes us all feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.” Chrissy began her career with the company in 2000 and has been promoted four times since then. And recently appointed Sustainability Officer, Chrissy will lead the company’s Green Team, oversee sustainability reports, act as point person to handle client inquiries related to sustainable business practices, provide education for clients/employees related to sustainable business practices and green initiatives, and drive continuous improvement.
What does your current job entail? I am one of the Managers in our Pharmaceutical Product Testing Group. My group focuses on supporting stability and release work for solid dosage form finished products (i.e. tablets, capsules, novel devices). We support some very early phase clinical studies as well as some very large marketed stability programs. The group also specializes in Comparator Product testing, which involves the analysis of over-encapsulated products used in blinded clinical studies. We also have experts within the department who focus on a variety of container testing ranging from dye ingress container closure integrity testing to compendial container testing.
It is my responsibility to ensure quality and compliance within the department as well as to provide technical consultation to our clients. I also work with our business development group to travel to client sites to help to establish relationships with new clients as well as to strengthen partnerships with our existing clients.
I also manage the Glassware Group for the Pharmaceutical Division. This group helps to provide clean glassware to all of the bio/chemistry and microbiology groups. They also help to support our Portage, MI, site. It is my responsibility to ensure that the group is meeting turnaround-time expectations for all of the labs, processing rush requests as necessary, and following all cleaning procedures. I also review all of the labware cleaning system monitoring data to ensure that none of our cleaning systems exhibit any negative trends related to contamination.
Why should clients trust us with their projects?
One of the things that I am most proud of about working at Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories is the people. We have a very loyal workforce, all of whom are dedicated to providing phenomenal service to our clients. Quality, Integrity, Customer Focus and Team Spirit are our core values, and I truly see this played out in all aspects of how we complete our work every day. Whether people are in our technical or support groups, we always emphasize that everything we do ultimately impacts our clients.
How would you characterize your leadership style?
My leadership style is based on the establishment of mutual trust and respect. I want the folks in my groups to feel empowered to make decisions, suggest ideas for improvements, and to grow through their own experiences. I will always step in as necessary to provide support or advice, but I do not like to micro-manage. My greatest satisfaction as a leader is to witness the growth and successes of those on my team. I constantly feel like I am learning and evolving as a leader because I strongly believe that a good leader should always be open to change.
What kind of volunteer activities have you been involved with?
I have worked closely with our local humane league for 7-8 years. Every year we organize a Wish List collection at the lab to collect items to donate to the shelter. We have a lot of animal lovers here so we always have 2-3 truck/car loads of donations to take to the Humane League every year. The folks (as well as the animals) at the shelter are always very appreciative of our efforts. I also organize a team to participate in the Tailwagger’s Trot, which is another fundraiser for the Humane League of Lancaster County. Team “Scratch & Sniff” has participated in this event for three years.
And when you’re not working?
When I’m not working, I’m usually outside. My partner Kelly and I enjoy kayaking, camping, and hiking with our dogs Rayne & Willow. Recently, I was accepted into a program to become a certified Master Naturalist in the State of Pennsylvania, which will involve a commitment of time volunteering to educate people in Lancaster Co. about the importance of conserving our local natural resources.
