Episode #56 – Stacy Pursell

Vetting the Future
Stacy Pursell, founder and CEO of The VET Recruiter, shares insights from her 25+ years as a trailblazing executive recruiter in the Animal Health, Veterinary, and Pet industries. As a top 1% search consultant and retention expert, Stacy discusses building world-class teams and spotting trends shaping the future workforce.

Transcript

Stacy Pursell:

Do you work in the animal health industry or veterinary profession? Have you ever wondered how people began their careers and how they got to where they are today? Hi everyone. I’m Stacy Pursell, the founder and CEO of the Vet Recruiter, the leading executive search and recruiting firm for the animal health industry and veterinary profession. I was the first recruiter to specialize in the animal health industry and veterinary profession in the United States and built the first search firm to serve this unique niche. For the past 25-plus years, I have built relationships with the industry’s top leaders and trailblazers. The people of Animal Health podcast highlights the incredible individuals I have connected with throughout my career. You will be able to learn more about their lives, careers, and contributions with our wide range of expert guests, you’ll be sure to learn something new in every episode. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the episode.

Candise:

Welcome to the People of Animal Health Podcast. Today on the People of Animal Health podcast, we’re joined by Stacy Pursell, the trailblazing founder and CEO of the Vet Recruiter, and also your regular host of this podcast, Stacy is widely regarded as a pioneer in veterinary and animal health recruiting. She has more than 25 years of experience helping build world-class organizations across the globe. She’s a certified personnel consultant and certified employee retention specialist, and has placed more professionals in the animal health industry and veterinary profession than any other recruiter in the USA. A frequent speaker at major industry events and a trusted advisor to top companies and startups alike, Stacy brings unmatched insight into hiring, retention, and industry trends. So let’s go ahead and start. Stacy, let’s start off at the beginning. What was life like growing up and where did you grow up?

Stacy Pursell:

Well, first of all, Candise, thank you for getting the word personnel right, because so many people read my bio and they say, “Stacy is a certified personal consultant.” And you said personnel consultant, and I think personnel sounds like an old word from the 70s, but yes, I’m a certified personnel consultant. And also the tables are turned here today because like Candise said, I’m usually the host of this podcast, but when Candise and I were talking at a recent conference, she said, “I think it would be great to interview you because you work in the animal health industry as well.” So she said, “You’re going to be on your own podcast.” So I think that’s a great idea Candise. So starting off at the beginning of my life, well, my parents met in high school. They got married at a very young age. My mom was 19 and my dad was 20 when they got married.

My mom followed my dad to college. They were in college when my mom got pregnant with me. She was 21 when I was born and my dad was 22, so I had very young parents, and they were still in college. My dad finished college, my mom dropped out. She later went back to college when I was in the sixth grade and finished and got her degree. I’m the oldest of two kids. I have a younger brother, he’s four years younger than me. So I grew up as an oldest child. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. My dad was an engineer, and I really enjoyed the fact that my mom was a stay-at-home mom because I’d come home from school and there would usually be cookies or rice crispy treats on the counter. And we were very active in sports. I played softball. I was on a award-winning drill team. I started ballet and tap and jazz starting in elementary school. I played the guitar. I was in Girl Scouts, I was in Brownie Scouts.

And then when I got into, I was a gymnast, I was a competitive gymnast as well. That was something I enjoyed very much. But when I was in the seventh grade, I tried out for an award-winning drill team or dance team, and I did that in seventh and eighth grade. I went on to do that in high school for two different high schools. I grew up north of Houston, Texas. And then right before my junior year in high school, I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. So I was on both the high school drill team down in the Houston area and also one in Tulsa. And the drill team that I was on in Houston, it was called the McCullough High Steppers. Now they’re the Woodland High Steppers. The original founder of that drill team was into synchronized swimming. So she combined synchronized swimming with a dance, and it’s a very unique dance. So the drill team is still there. They’ve only had, I believe, three instructors in the history of the drill team, which started, I think in the 70s.

And I was on the team in the 80s, and we went to Tokyo, Japan in 1988, and we were there for two weeks. And I got to perform at the opening of the Tokyo Dome, the Big Egg Tokyo Dome. We got to perform at that. We went to Osaka, Kyoto and got to perform at multiple places around Japan along with a dance team from Brainerd, Minnesota. So we got to do that opening ceremony at the Big Egg Tokyo Dome, and that was such a unique experience for a 16-year-old and just really opened my eyes to the world.

So I graduated high school in Tulsa, went to Oklahoma State University, got a degree in broadcast journalism, and I thought I was going to anchor the nightly news. I did two internships at the CBS affiliate in Tulsa. One was in the news, one was in sports. I also did some radio stuff when I was in college. I anchored the newscast for Oklahoma State, and I was a producer for that as well. And then I worked for an advertising agency. I worked for a Fortune 500 company in their communications group. I worked for a publishing company, both in sales and as a writer. And then in the mid-90s, I got my start in executive search. So when I was at Oklahoma State, I was also working for the school newspaper and the editor of the paper said, “OSU is looking for a new president of the school, and this dean has hired an executive search firm to find the school a new president. You go and interview the dean and write the story about how that process is going to go.”

So that was my first encounter with an executive search firm. I interviewed the dean, wrote the story. That article made the first page of the paper, which I was really proud of. But what I learned that day in talking to that dean fascinated me and set the stage for my career. I was very intrigued about the executive search process. So my sister-in-law in the 90s got a job in executive search in when it was all the Y2K stuff, she got, in the IT space, she got hired and she has the same degree as I do. Well, she’s passed away now, but she did have the same degree that I did, and she worked in executive search and my husband said, “I think you would be really good at that.” So there was an ad in the Sunday paper. I took my resume, went to Kinko’s, faxed my resume to an executive search firm, got a call on that Monday, went in and interviewed.

They said, “If you’re still interested, call us back tomorrow.” So I went in for two more interviews, got hired. They put me on a desk to place sales and marketing executives for Fortune 500 companies. So how I got into the animal health space is I was placing sales and marketing executives for Fortune 500 companies. One of my clients was a pet food company, and they needed to hire somebody to run that pet division. So I filled that position and one of my candidates who was interviewing for that position was working for another pet food company, and they needed to hire a chief veterinary officer. My boss said, “Stacy, if you can figure out how to spell the word veterinarian, tell them the search process is the same and that you can help them fill that position.” So I filled that position. He was right. The search process was the same, and those were the early days and how I got into this space.

Candise:

Very nice. Well, thank you for that. So as you think about getting into the space, but then how you went on to carve out a niche, I think you’re widely recognized as a pioneer in veterinary and animal health recruiting. But after you did that first engagement, what initially inspired you to carve out this niche and how did the vet recruiter come to life and how did you decide to build your business out of that experience?

Stacy Pursell:

So I filled that position for the chief veterinary officer, and then I got connected with a animal health pharmaceutical company, and I was talking with the head of technical services and he said, we’re going to double the size of our veterinary tech services team and we’re going to double the size of our sales force. So they hired me to do that. I built a team for them of their professional services veterinarians. Built their pharmacovigilance team. They asked me to help them expand their sales force, which I did. And they started asking me to fill other roles in the regulatory affairs and research and development. So I was having so much fun working with this animal health pharmaceutical company. I got a call from another major animal health pharmaceutical company that noticed the work that I was doing for my client, and they said, “We are going to be expanding. Could you help us?”

So I started to help this company also, and then I got connected with the head of human resources for PetSmart at the time, and he was a veterinarian, and he said, “We are going to be putting veterinary hospitals inside PetSmart stores.” That was the predecessor to Banfield. And I got connected with that team in the early days, and I was able to help them find about, I built a team. It wasn’t just me, but we were able to help them find more than 300 veterinarians. And that was a life-changing experience for me. It was so interesting. I’ll never forget this story. There was a veterinarian in Dallas, Texas, and she had been out of school for five years and she was making $25,000 a year working as a veterinarian, had gone to school for eight years to become a veterinarian and was five years out of school. And she said, “I don’t have any benefits. I don’t have medical insurance, I don’t have any PTO. I have to pay for my own uniform allowance.”

And I called her with an opportunity, doubled her salary, offered her something in the 50,000 range, and she said, “This has changed my life. Thank you.” And it was story after story after story where I was at the very beginning of the corporate consolidation, and I started working with two companies that are now very large in this space. Because back when I started in the space, most of the veterinary clinics were owned by individuals. And so I was right there at the beginning of the corporate consolidation. Over the years have helped many corporate consolidators from their very beginning stages to becoming very large organizations. But story after story, people are having their lives changed because they were making more money, they were getting benefits, they were getting vacation time, and it was a game changer. And now the veterinarians we’re placing are getting some three and four weeks of vacation, they have outstanding benefits packages and the salaries have dramatically increased over the years that I’ve been involved.

Candise:

Yeah, no, that sounds like you got hooked, hooked on helping and making a difference. So over the more than 25 years that you have in executive search and professional recruiting, I’m sure, again, you’ve seen the industry evolve significantly. You just talked about a little bit of that with the consolidation, but what major shifts have you noticed in talent acquisition within the veterinary and animal health sectors over that time, and maybe even just recently, because I know it feels like we’re moving faster than ever as well.

Stacy Pursell:

Yes, and I’ll answer that. I forgot to finish answering your last question about how did the vet recruiter come to life? So I was working for a large international search firm, and I was there for seven and a half years, it was the best job I ever had. Absolutely loved going to work every day. And I remember hearing a professional trainer that spoke on stage at one of our regional meetings, and he said, “If you love what you do, you’re going to fun every day, not to work.” And that really resonated with me. And to this day, that’s how I feel. Every day I get up in the morning and I feel like I’m going to fun, not to work. And just my passion for this industry and the people. And that’s what kept me here before I was placing sales and marketing executives and when I started working around pet food executives and veterinarians, because my business expands from pet specialty to animal health to working with veterinary clinics, but it’s the people that work on products and services for animals are just the best people.

And I really saw that, and it was the people that attracted me to this industry and kept me here. So after seven and a half years with this large corporation, which gave me my start, and I’m so appreciative of, I really saw a need to specialize in the animal health vet and pet space. And I was working for a company that was in all these different industries, and I wanted to create a firm just to focus on this space. So I bought out the business that I had created within their organization, and that’s how I started The Vet Recruiter. And what I’ve seen over the past now going on almost 28 years in terms of shifts in talent acquisition is the industry has grown up. It’s gotten more sophisticated in some ways. So the corporate consolidation is one of those major shifts. When I first started, Candise, there were no recruiters at all working in the animal health industry and vet profession.

In fact, when I was working for the large search firm, they said, “Stacy,” they gave me this really thick book. And they said, “These are all the niches that executive recruiters work in.” And there was legal and accounting and finance and aviation and construction, all these industries. And they said, “Look, animal health and veterinary is not in there because that’s not a niche. It’s too small of a space. It would not support a recruiter or a search firm.” So I saw around the corner, I saw the corporate consolidation. I saw that my clients were hiring in the animal health space. I was very busy, and so I didn’t agree with that, and so that was another reason that led to me starting my own business with this focus. But because I was the first recruiter to work in this space, my clients didn’t have internal recruiters.

And so I was their recruiter helping them identify all kinds of people on the veterinary practice side, placing veterinarians, 300 veterinarians I mentioned for one organization. And then working with a pharmaceutical company, placing sales and marketing and research and development, pharmacovigilance, regulatory. We did not have these sophisticated internal recruiters. So I was the recruiter and they didn’t have a lot of systems in place. So I was interviewing one of my clients the other day on this podcast, and he said, it’s kind of like you’re building the plane while you’re flying the plane. And that’s what some of it has been like. You don’t have a lot of processes or systems, but I am trying to find the right people for my clients and working with the decision makers, working with the CEO or the executive team because they did not have an internal talent acquisition team. Where today I do a lot of work with internal talent acquisition teams.

Candise:

No, that makes sense. So I think the shift, it sounds like it’s just you’ve created a whole new approach and category that has grown up with the industry as well. So that makes a ton of sense. So because you’ve done so many different portions of this industry and different type clients having helped everyone from startups to Fortune 500s build this high performing team, what’s your secret to consistently identifying top talent, even with a variety of clients and roles that you’re filling?

Stacy Pursell:

It’s really listening, listening and hearing what the clients are saying, anticipating their needs, and just understanding their needs and being able to execute on that. So I’d say my number one superpower is my ability to listen and hear what somebody wants and then to go deliver the results that they need.

Candise:

Yeah, no, I think that it’s one of those skills that I think is super important. We worked together previously when I was at a large corporate group as we were building out first in category clinics in retail, veterinary clinics in retail centers. And I think I remember specifically being on the other side of that of you listening and asking a lot of really good questions. So I do think, I agree, it’s your super talent. I think at the end of the day, it’s something that makes a big difference. If you know what you’re looking for and you have a great contact list, then it’s easy obviously to make the right matches in a lot of ways. So speaking of matches, I think the goal always is retention. And once you find somebody, how do you keep them there? You’re a certified employee retention specialist, which is something I haven’t heard of before, and probably your audience hasn’t either, but we’d love to know what that means. And then what are the biggest mistakes you do see companies make when they’re trying to keep great employees with them and engaged?

Stacy Pursell:

Well, the Certified Employee Retention Specialist is a certification that’s offered by NAPS, the National Association of Personnel Services. And it’s a training that I go through and then I have to do continuing education, 17 hours of continuing education a year to keep that certification. So it helps me in my firm to help our clients hire the best people, but it does no good to hire them if you can’t retain them, since it’s being able to consult with them on hiring and how to retain them. So the biggest mistake that companies make when trying to keep the right employees is hiring them and then forgetting about them and not taking care of them over the course of the time that they’re with that organization.

And sometimes they don’t think about them until that person comes in and gives their resignation, and then they’re wondering what happened. The other reason why companies don’t retain people is whatever they were promised during the interview process is not what’s delivered or what they experience when they get to the company, whether it’s what the culture is like or promises made that aren’t delivered on. So in order to retain people, you have to give them what’s promised during the interview, the hiring, the recruiting process, but you also have to not forget about them when they become employees. You have to continue to take care of them and help make sure that they’re advancing their career forward within your organization.

Candise:

That makes great sense. As you’ve recruited for some of the biggest names in animal health, you also have helped startups, so you’ve built their entire teams, right? So how does your approach shift depending on the company size or stage specifically?

Stacy Pursell:

I would say that my approach doesn’t change, my approach stays the same when working with a large company or a smaller company. But I would say sometimes my client’s approaches change. So I’ll give you an example. It’s kind of like if you hire a heart surgeon to fix your heart, you’re going to let that surgeon do what the surgeon does best and let them take care of your heart. Or if you’re going to hire a plumber for your house, you’re not going to tell that plumber what to do or how to do it. You’re going to let them do what they’re good at and handle the plumbing in your house. So in the executive search world, I’ve had tremendous experience finding the right people and landing the right people for my clients. But what tends to happen in larger companies versus smaller companies, especially large companies that have sophisticated internal talent acquisition teams, is they’ll tend to hire an executive recruiter like myself, and then they’ll tell us how to do our job or what to do and how to do it.

With the smaller companies that don’t have internal talent acquisition teams that don’t know how to do it, they’ll just let me do my thing and let me do what I’m good at. I do notice that some of the bigger companies will tend to hinder my ability with all the rules and processes and a lot of bureaucracy and spending time putting candidates into portals and just more on the administrative side versus using my skills, which is to go and ultimately find the best person for the team versus getting bogged down into bureaucracy and in processes. So it’s not so much my process that changes, but trying to meet the needs of different clients, small and big companies.

Candise:

That makes, yeah, again, having similar circumstances as a consultant, I totally understand that. You hire an expert, you want to have them be able to lead and do the things that they are uniquely qualified to do. So on that front, because you are so close to this industry and even called a trendsetter, trailblazer, trend spotter, excuse me, trendsetter too probably, and trailblazer, what upcoming trends in the veterinary or pet industry should leaders be paying attention to, closer attention to than they might currently be paying?

Stacy Pursell:

Well, I’d say a couple things come to mind there. I know in the veterinary profession, we’re seeing this trend of vet visits are dropping, so why we need to figure that out? Why is that happening and what can we do about that? And then I would also say technology, because technology just continues to evolve and change. Just staying on top of that, going to these conferences where they’re focused on technology and innovation, because if you’re not staying on top of that, somebody else could come up with better technology and put you out of business.

Candise:

Yeah, those are definitely good, important watch-outs. So on that note of conferences, you’ve spoken at top veterinary conferences and you’ve served on multiple advisory boards. How do these experiences shape your perspective on workforce development and industry innovation? And what value, I guess, ultimately do they deliver to your customers?

Stacy Pursell:

I go to so many different conferences. Two weeks ago I was in Dallas for the Animal Health Ag Tech Innovation Summit. And then in a couple of weeks I’ll be at the UVSA, the United Veterinary Services Association, and then a few weeks after that, I’ll be in Boston for the Kiasco Animal Health Innovation Summit. What is so interesting to me is how all these different conferences overlap. I’ll go to this conference and I’ll see these people that will be at this conference and people that’ll be at this conference, and you’ll, it’ll be different people, but there’ll be so many of the same people at different conferences and how there are so many different areas of this industry that intersect from the vet to the animal health to the pet specialty, to the ag to the tech, and it’s all about people.

My clients are people, their clients are people. So just always being aware that you can have the latest product or technology, but it’s all about the people. When you’re looking at the workforce, that’s all about people too. So just being mindful that whatever you’re doing, make sure that you’re serving people and creating products that are going to benefit people.

Candise:

Yeah, no, that makes sense. I’m on the same circuit as you, I see you at lots of conferences. You might actually go to more than I do, which is hard to do, but I love that it’s all about the people for sure. So with that, what advice would you give to the people in animal health or veterinary professionals who are thinking about making a career move, but they just don’t know where to start? They know they’re not happy where they are, and they don’t have time or even any idea of where to dig in and even think about what’s next for them? What advice would you give them?

Stacy Pursell:

Well, they can talk to me. I would be happy to have that conversation with anybody thinking about making a career move and not knowing where to start. But I would say think about the things that you enjoy doing, and you’re good at. Making a list of things that you enjoy that you’re good at, making a list of things that you don’t enjoy, talking to other people in the industry, going to conferences and trade shows, meeting people at different companies, learning about the different types of roles that are out there. But something interesting happened to me the other day. I’m hiring for a certain position within my company, and a friend of mine referred somebody who’s looking for a position, but when I was talking to this person, what he was looking for doesn’t line up with what I need to hire. So when companies are hiring, they are hiring somebody to do a specific role.

They need somebody to solve this problem and do whatever it is they’re hiring and paying this person to do. But sometimes candidates, they want to do something that doesn’t line up with what the company needs to hire them to do. And I’ll even give an example. It’s like on a resume objective statement versus executive or professional summary. So sometimes we get resumes that say, “Objective, my objective is to do this, this, and this.” Well, what if your objective and what you want to do doesn’t line up with what the company is hiring for? Then you won’t get an interview. But what if your resume has an executive summary or a professional summary that says what you’re bringing to the table, focus on what you’re bringing to the table and how your skills are going to benefit that company because it has to be a win-win. Whatever you’re bringing to the table has to benefit the company.

They’re not going to hire you to do something they don’t need somebody to do. So keep that in mind because I think sometimes people make the mistake. They say, “Well, these are my goals and this is what I want to do.” And that’s great when it intersects and your goals line up with the company’s goals its hiring. But I would also say be open to opportunities that you’ve never thought about before, because there’s so many people in this space that have reinvented themselves, that have done one thing, and now they’re doing something completely different. And I’d say never turn down the opportunity to speak with a recruiter. If recruiter calls you, listen to what they have to say, because some of the best jobs out there are in the hidden job market that you wouldn’t know about unless somebody calls.

And even if you’re happy in your role and you’re not looking, a recruiter could call with an opportunity that you might never have thought about, and it could end up being something better than what you’re doing now. And that’s all part of building your network. You’re going to have access to opportunities the bigger your network is. So keep cultivating your network and include executive recruiters as part of your network.

Candise:

There was so much good advice in there. Thank you. I think to play it back, I think, yeah, this idea of matching your skills in a way that a company can see the best in you versus making it one-sided. I think it’s fascinating. It goes back to the conversation we had previously, Stacy on I think the same challenge that new products and service providers have is you have to really translate that into what the company could value at the end of the day. And then I think the idea of network, keeping your network, have the conversation, don’t have these preconceived notions because again, the world changes pretty quickly. And I will say one of the things I see a lot is people, they don’t recognize their transferable skills, so they define themselves by a job, but they don’t really unpack that into the skills that they do in that job. And so I think it’s something, some really good advice you gave there as well.

Stacy Pursell:

Hey everyone, we are interrupting the episode briefly to talk to you about today’s sponsor. This episode is brought to you by The Vet Recruiter. The Vet Recruiter is the go-to executive search and recruitment firm in the animal health industry and veterinary profession, dedicated to connecting exceptional employers with high-caliber candidates, with a deep understanding of the animal health industry and veterinary profession, and a vast pool of talented candidates, we make the hiring process seamless and efficient for the animal health and veterinary employers who have critical hiring needs.

If you are an employer in search of top talent, or you work in the animal health industry, or are a veterinarian ready to take the next step in your career, look no further than The Vet Recruiter. The Vet Recruiter has placed many of the industry’s top leaders, from CEOs to COOs to chief veterinary officers to VPs of marketing and sales, and heads of R&D and Chief Scientific Officers. We have built sales forces for many leading animal health companies and have placed more veterinarians in clinical practice than any other search firm in the U.S. Ready to take the next step? Visit thevetrecruiter.com today. That’s thevetrecruiter.com. And now let’s get back into the episode.

Candise:

With that, obviously you’re known for your high success rate in executive placements. What do you look for in candidates that tells you they’re going to thrive in a specific role or just generally as well?

Stacy Pursell:

Well, I look for skills and experience, of course, skills and experience that they’re capable of doing the job that they have, the experience, past experience, successful experience that would translate into them being able to be successful in this new position. But I also look for attitude and I look for motivation because somebody can have all the skills in the world, but if they don’t have the right attitude and if they’re not motivated, they’re not going to be a good hire that’s going to be able to be retained by our client.

Candise:

That makes a ton of sense. So outside of your professional work, which certainly you’ve done a lot in a really exciting space, what else are you, we know you’re actively involved in giving back, whether it’s through board service or packing meals for kids in need as just some examples. How has service shaped your leadership philosophy more broadly?

Stacy Pursell:

Well, there’s an organization that I really enjoy. In fact, we’re doing it, I think it’s next week or the week after. It’s called Feed My Starving Children. And we pack meals for kids that are starving around the world. So that’s something that I do and our organization does every year is we pack meals for Feed My Starving Children, and it’s just very rewarding to be able to do something for others in need. I did serve on the board of directors for NAPS, the National Association of Personnel Services. I was able to give back to the executive search industry through the work that I did there, and I’m very heavily involved in that. Partners. Right now I’m the head of the program committee. So we put on the program for, we have two meetings a year. We develop the program, invite all the speakers and choose the topics that people are going to be speaking about for our association. And I’m on several other committees.

So I think it’s very important to give back to the industry. So I give back both to the animal health industry through Vet Partners, volunteering with NAPS, and then also just outside of the industry as well with Feed My Starving Children.

Candise:

That’s lovely. So let’s go to the rapid fire section of the interview, I guess. So what has been the most surprising thing during your current animal health and veterinary profession? What surprised you the most, or what have you been surprised by?

Stacy Pursell:

I would say that the thing that I enjoy most about this industry are the people. It’s like two degrees of separation, just how generous, kind, giving the people in our industry are. I mean, most of the companies in this industry are making products or selling services for animals, and the people in this industry are so passionate about what we’re doing. And I would say that’s the part that I enjoy the most. That’s what got me here, what keeps me here. Surprising thing, just I guess how fast things move sometimes, the corporate consolidation, just from when I first started and where it is now. I’m trying to think if there’s anything else. I know in my own business, we have so much more technology now. I was an executive recruiter before LinkedIn, so there’s just so much technology now that makes our jobs easier.

Candise:

Yeah, no, definitely. Sometimes makes it harder too. But yes, I hear you. How have you seen the profession change over the years?

Stacy Pursell:

Corporate consolidation, the sophistication, just how we talked about a couple times how the industry has grown up and just all the new products and services, how the pet owners, pet parents are more sophisticated now. There’s so many things, but I would say the biggest is the corporate consolidation.

Candise:

And then what’s your crystal ball say? What’s next for the future of the veterinary profession?

Stacy Pursell:

I think it’s bright. I think there is tremendous opportunity in the veterinary profession. I’m very excited about it.

Candise:

Absolutely. So let’s go back to you and what makes you tick. What are a few of your daily habits that you believe have allowed you to achieve success? Because it’s certainly impressive what you’ve accomplished. And again, I think when we look back at what you’ve built, there’s a lot to it. So what do you do on a daily basis that kind of keeps you going?

Stacy Pursell:

I would say a couple things. Get up and show up. I have not missed a day of work in 28 years. I have not taken a sick day in 28 years. I can be sick and I’ll show up for work. So I am just get up and show up, and then being present in whatever I’m doing. I have so many things going on in my life from family to work to just lots of different things I’m involved with, but just being present at the moment with whatever it is I’m doing.

Candise:

I love those both for so many reasons. So let’s switch to the adversity side. So what has been the biggest adversity that you’ve had a fight through during your career? Because again, what you’ve built is certainly impressive, and it certainly wasn’t easy looking back at the history of this industry and just where we are today.

Stacy Pursell:

I guess a couple things. So when I was early in my career and I first started in executive search, I was trying to land a company, and this company was actually not in the animal health industry. It was before I moved over and specialized in animal health. But I was trying to work with this company and there was an executive recruiter in our office who was male, and he’d been trying to land this client for a number of years and couldn’t land them. And then that I landed this client and he went into our boss’s office and said, I’ve been trying to land that client for a long time. And my boss came and got me and said, “Well, I think they’d rather work with a man.” And I said, “Well, why is that?” I said, “Because the CEO is a woman, and the hiring authority I’m working with is a woman.” And they tried to take that client away from me because he had been trying to land it and they couldn’t. And I landed it, and I just walked in there and I said, “No, you’re not taking this client from me.”

And then early in the animal health industry, there’s a very well-known executive who I’m friends with to this day, and I of course won’t give his name, but he’ll probably never remember having this conversation with me. Early in my career, he said, “Stacy, what are you doing working in this man’s industry, in this male-dominated industry in animal health?” And I said, “Huh?” Because it had never occurred to me because I don’t think of the world like that, male or female. It’s like, “That’s Bob, that’s Sarah. That’s Mike.”

I mean, it’s like, I just don’t think about those things. I just think about this is so and so, that’s so and so. It never dawned on me that, of course today we know that this is a very heavily female industry with lots of successful women. But when I first got started, I had an executive say, “Stacy, what are you doing working in this male-dominated industry?” And it just had not even occurred to me that it was a male-dominated industry. So I would say those are probably some very surprising things in some adversity that I worked. I just let it blow, just roll off my back and just didn’t worry about it and just kept going.

Candise:

Yeah, no, I think that strong ability to show up, show up and do the job is critical. So I think those probably tie together. So what advice would you give your younger version of yourself knowing what you know now?

Stacy Pursell:

I would say things usually work themselves out. I’m very passionate about what I’m doing. And so sometimes just if a client doesn’t see things the way I see or a candidate might not, just not worrying about it, sometimes it just may not be the right fit. And just when things come up, just maybe just not get so stressed out. Or sometimes there’s a candidate that I can truly see this opportunity for them and they can’t see it. And I’ve had candidates that I’ve tried to present an opportunity to, and they didn’t see it. Had this one executive call me back six months later, and she goes, “Why did you not call me about that position?” And I said, “I did. I called you about it and you told me no.” And then she goes, “I’m kicking myself now.” She goes, “Why didn’t you convince me?”

And I said, “I tried, but you wouldn’t listen.” And she’s like, “I’m just kicking myself now because I really want that position now. I see what that company’s doing.” So not trying to, I mean, of course I’m doing my job trying to sell opportunities, but just, okay, if they’re not going to do it, that’s fine. I’ll go find the next person that will, and not getting so worked up, but it’s kind of like you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. When people pass on opportunities I used to get so frustrated and just not worry about, okay, next I’m going to go find somebody else who sees this opportunity.

Candise:

Yeah, no, I totally understand that. So with that in mind, I guess then, what message or principle do you wish you could teach everybody that you either learned or just have held dear?

Stacy Pursell:

Be a good person, do the right thing thing. Just be kind. Be a good, kind person and do the right thing.

Candise:

Yep. I love that. Never going to go wrong with that advice. So many people have a favorite book, and you’ve probably heard lots of them on this podcast, but what is your favorite key book in your life and what impacted you, and tell us more about how you found it or how you use it.

Stacy Pursell:

So I’ve got two. The Bible has some great proverbs on how to live a good life, and Jack Canfield, The Success Principles. It’s a very long book, but it’s got some great tips on how to have a good, successful life.

Candise:

Awesome. Well, so we’re at the final bit here. Now you’ve got the mic. I’m going to give you back the mic because you usually have the mic. But what is the one thing as a guest that you want to share with the listeners of The People of Animal Health Podcast before we have you drop the mic and pick up the other mic?

Stacy Pursell:

The animal health industry is the best industry. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve had, the people listening, the animal health industry and the veterinary profession just consists of the very best people, kind people, people that are doing good, important work. Keep doing what you’re doing. To the companies, keep innovating, coming out with new products and services. Keep doing what you’re doing, and I’m just so grateful to be a part of such a incredible industry.

Candise:

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for giving me the chance to interview you today. It was a lot of fun. Thank you again.

Stacy Pursell:

Candise. Thank you so much. I enjoyed it.