A condensed version of this profile appears in the Winter 2025 edition of Medlines, an in-house newsletter for Medline employees.

Name: Ron Woosley
Title: Maintenance manager
Current location: Dynacor manufacturing facility, Howell, Mich.
Started with Medline: June 1984 with Tri‑State Hospital Supply Corp., later Centurion (acquired by Medline in 2017)

HOW IT BEGAN: “I was 16, still in high school. There was a recall on some non-sterile kit components where they needed some summer help, so I took that job and thought I was going to be here for 2½ months. Then one of the production guys told me they needed somebody second shift to help pick up and clean up. I could come after school and do it for four hours a day. And that led to this – more than 41 years. This is the only place I’ve ever worked.”

FULL CIRCLE: “After that first summer, I switched to maintenance and was basically janitorial and custodial until I graduated high school. Then I became a maintenance tech in 1986 and got involved in sterilization soon after, because the Tri-State maintenance group helped run the sterilizers. I was the main manager over sterilization and maintenance from 2000 all the way to 2021, when we stopped doing sterilization at this site. Now my focus is specifically geared toward maintenance.”

A TYPICAL DAY: “Busy! You name it, I fix it – although not always personally. We cover the facility, the grounds and all the machinery, so I could be doing everything from shoveling sidewalks and throwing salt down in the parking lot to calling contractors to fix a roof leak or responding to a machine breaking. We have five full-time techs who maintain the equipment and do day-to-day fixes and repairs in-house. I grew up with a lot of these machines. With the newer and updated ones, we learn on the fly.”

GREAT MINDS: “I’ve always been someone who likes to take things apart and put ’em back together, and that’s something I look for when we’re hiring. All good maintenance techs are inquisitive and able to visualize hands-on to understand things. If you’re intimidated, then a lot of times your troubleshooting skills are going to be limited.”

BIGGEST CHANGE SINCE ’84: “Culture – in a good way. I think now we communicate better. We share information better. We recognize people better. Not that we did it ‘wrong’ in the past, but back in the ’80s, it was normal to come in to work thinking, ‘I’m gonna put in my eight hours and then go home, and if nobody talks to me, I had a good day.’ It’s totally different now. Now it’s about recognition and calling out accomplishments. That’s a huge change just in the last eight years since we became part of Medline.”

OFF THE CLOCK: “I’m married with one daughter and three grandchildren. I love sports: the Red Wings, the Lions, and I’m an MSU guy – Michigan State. I’ve been in a bowling league and a golf league since I was young, and I’ve always just loved staying active with outdoor activities – downhill skiing, summer water skiing, pond hockey. What do they say? Jack of all trades but master of none?”

SECRET TO SUCCESS: “Empowering people to make decisions, to do and think on their own instead of just telling them what they have to do. That’s what I’ve learned the most: the importance of opening that door. The team’s definitely stronger for it. You get way better results. More things get done that way.”

Interested in becoming part of the Medline team? Visit the careers section of Medline.com to learn more about the roles and opportunities available.