Sarah Tolan said her greatest achievement has been being promoted to lead account specialist of Orlando, Fla.-based polymer distributor Amco Polymers LLC within one year of working in the industry: "I made sure to keep my head down and absorb as much information and knowledge as possible within my first year of work. Being promoted into this role was just the beginning of my leadership path."
Before this role, Tolan worked in customer service, "so I was looking for something where I can still get fulfillment out of my love for pleasing customers and helping them be successful along with a better use of my detail-oriented, problem-solving, goal-driven talents."
As lead account specialist, she collaborates with the leadership team "to streamline processes along with simplifying tasks to increase the effectiveness of our department."
"I am responsible for being the first point of escalation for my team and to help with shared and ongoing pain points that the team experiences in their day-to-day work," she said. "I also assist in improving productivity by reporting data, trends and setting/meeting goals for our key performance indicators."
Tolan graduated high school with an international baccalaureate from NIST International School in Bangkok, finished two years of school at San Diego State University, then graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree in business management and minor in marketing.
"When I was first getting the industry, I did not realize that there would be an endless library of information and knowledge to be learned from the technical side of our products to the numerous methods of molding resin to the history of supplier relations," she said. "It sometimes can feel very overwhelming not knowing it all. However, as long as I take something learned home from my day, I take it as a win."
Tolan said the number of people with different backgrounds in the plastics industry is unique and the most useful thing someone can bring to his or her team is "being yourself [and] being human."
"I have always felt to be a natural leader and someone who gravitates towards people vs. process," she said. "I genuinely love getting to know others and what they see of the world."
