Renae Sindelar is the Vice President of Healthcare Business Development for Airgas, where she works on the National Healthcare team to bring value-added projects to the regional companies. These projects include the TGM™ team, INTELLI-OX+™ and professional practice markets. Sindelar has spent the last 14 years working between Airgas and Air Liquide, and previously worked with a medical imaging company.
Sindelar received her degree from Northern Illinois University.
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Give us Airgas’ elevator pitch.
Airgas Healthcare provides one-stop access to medical gases including oxygen for breathing, nitrous oxide for anesthesia, and dry ice and liquid nitrogen for sample storage and shipping, in addition to on-site gas management services.
Airgas Healthcare’s offering helps researchers test new treatments and cures, and forensic scientists analyze evidence. Airgas also offers specialty pure gases and mixtures for laboratories striving to achieve accurate measurements in analytical research.
Airgas®, an Air Liquide company, is a leading U.S. supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases, as well as hardgoods and related products; one of the largest U.S. suppliers of safety products; and a leading U.S. supplier of ammonia products and process chemicals. Airgas helps its more than 1 million customers advance their business performance and reach their full potential with reliable products, services and expertise used to create, build, care, serve and sustain. With nearly 18,000 associates, over 1,400 locations, a robust eBusiness platform, and Airgas Total Access® telesales channel, Airgas is ready to help customers fill their potential, every day.
What is one thing the Medical Alley community might be unaware of about Airgas that you think would be good to know?
Airgas is focused on delivering the right product and data-driven services, as well as offering to help our customers environmentally optimize their processes while reducing our own carbon footprint; ensuring a reliable, efficient, local supply of essential molecules to all customers, including healthcare providers; engaging a diverse and inclusive workforce; acting safely with business integrity and making a meaningful difference by creating a sustainable future.
How have the last few years changed Airgas for the long term?
Today and since becoming part of Air Liquide nearly six years ago, Airgas has been evolving through the pandemic and related global supply chain challenges to position our customers to fill their potential by supplying products, expertise, and technology to best compete on the global stage. We are stronger, more innovative and more adaptable than ever. Navigating the ambiguity of the pandemic business climate has enhanced our adaptability and the ways we can support customers.
We are continuing to evolve in a way that optimizes our customers’ competitiveness through the use of data and digital technology and are well-positioned to make the best of both the person-to-person B2B environment and the dynamic, everchanging, digital B2B world.
What are the big milestones to come in the next few years for Airgas?
In March 2022, Air Liquide presented its new strategic plan for 2025 which is a milestone in the company’s history: ADVANCE. It places sustainable development at the heart of the Group’s strategy, firmly setting Air Liquide and Airgas on course for a comprehensive performance by combining financial performance and extra-financial performance. With ADVANCE, Air Liquide is taking action today while preparing the future. The Group is rising up to an ambitious challenge: maintaining its growth dynamic and improving its profitability while meeting its commitments to reduce CO2 emissions and investing in the markets of the future.
In May 2022, Airgas unveiled a new inspiring and possibility-driven theme line, called “Fill Your Potential.™” to convey how the company helps customers and associates fill their own potential as they create, build, care, serve and sustain. The phrase captures Airgas’ unique promise and is empowered by the voices of both customers and Airgas associates.
Currently, Airgas is focused on our Customer Experience roadmap for the future, which is critical to advancing Airgas’ goal of market growth leadership, and is our Airgas’ top goal after working safely. While Airgas strives to operate its business as efficiently as possible, the company has a collective vision of being the premiere supplier and that requires Customer Experience to take priority.
What does leadership look like to you?
Leadership is about inspiring, supporting and collaborating with individuals so that they can achieve their goals personally and professionally.
What is the best advice you have received in your career? What is the worst?
Follow my passion. That seems simple enough, but when you look at a company like Airgas that has an incredibly diverse portfolio of the industries we serve, many opportunities have arisen in my career where I could have moved into a different field. However, healthcare and serving the healthcare community has always been my passion and my strength. I have spent 15 years serving the healthcare community specifically with our innovative products and services at Airgas.
The worst advice I have received was to follow the process that has always been in place and not to try to “rock the boat.” If you have the passion and willingness to help improve current processes, you should always speak up, ask questions and share your ideas!
What have been the most rewarding moments in your career?
About 10 years ago, I had a mentor who took the time to teach me, help me think through things differently, encourage me to learn from others and most of all, share my ideas. I realized that I enjoyed passing along that knowledge to others, and today I have the opportunity to work with all Airgas Healthcare associates throughout the United States as well as associates from across the globe. I find the most reward in watching others succeed in helping the Healthcare community find the best solutions for the patients they care for.
What is one personal goal for the upcoming year?
Each year I strive to set a goal for myself that will be challenging and stretch my abilities. This year my goal is to implement “green” initiatives into my home. As a member of the Airgas Sustainability Committee, I am trying to find new ways of reducing my own carbon footprint at home. Two of the largest areas where I have improved include not using my single cup coffee maker so I am using less plastic cups, and my family and I are also using cloth napkins instead of disposable paper ones.
How do you relax/decompress?
I find the greatest amount of relaxation and joy by spending time with my family and friends. I make a point to spend quality time with each of them to catch up on our joys and our challenges. This could be just a meal at home or finding a new restaurant.
What do you enjoy most about the Medical Alley community?
With my personal passion for healthcare and years of serving the healthcare community, I greatly appreciate Medical Alley’s dedication to innovation and transformation in healthcare. To achieve this, collaboration is required between providers, industry and GPOs to improve quality and manage the cost of care over time. Airgas Healthcare works alongside healthcare professionals like Medical Alley to promote change by offering reliable products and associated services that help enable this transformation —making our healthcare system more efficient and safe.
