Spotlight: Tell us about yourself?
Laura: I was born in California but raised in Iowa. My father was in the Navy and we moved around until I was 4 when we settled in Iowa. I lived in Boone, Iowa and went to school K-12 and Jr. College there. Married the day after I graduated from Jr. College and had 2 beautiful daughters, Natalie & Melanie. We moved to California in 1984 for a change. I have been working in the manufacturing environment for over 25 years and have been in purchasing for about 12 years. I received my C.P.M. in 1999 and am currently attending the University of Phoenix to get my B.S. in Business Management. I like reading and traveling but studying and being with my family is what keeps me busy right now. My oldest daughter made me a Grandmother on June 1st. so I am enjoying being a Grama.

Spotlight: Where do you work and tell us a little about what you do? Anything interesting and/or unusual you do?
Laura: I'm currently working for Triconex in Irvine. We are part of the Invensys group which is a multibillion$ corporation which is a British Corporation, headquartered in London. I am responsible for terminations, cables, packaging, special projects and whatever else is needed. I currently transitioned some of the cable production to Shanghai, China and am hoping to take a trip there now that the SARS epidemic is over.

Spotlight: How long have you been a member of NAPM-OC? How did you become a member?
Laura: I'm not real sure how long I have been a member of NAPM-OC. Somewhere around 9 years. A Sr. Buyer I used to work with at another company named Binky Peer got me involved. She is the Sr. Purchasing Officer for the City of Redding now.

Spotlight: What committee do you volunteer for?
Laura: I volunteered for the marketing committee to work with Gloria Torres. She said we would have fun - and we do!

Spotlight: What is your most interesting Purchasing experience?
Laura: I don't have any one thing that comes to mind but I really like going on Suppliers Surveys to visit other companies to see how they function and try to get good ideas to take back to my company. I did get more than I bargained for once in a box of cables from China - a big hairy tarantula.

Spotlight: Who is your mentor and why?
Laura: Binky Peer, because she helped me learn so much about the purchasing profession and encouraged me to get my C.P.M. and still continues to help me if I email her questions.

Spotlight: Do you have a favorite website?
Laura: No

Spotlight: Anything else you would like to add?
Laura: Being a member of NAPM has helped me keep up with the profession and helped continue my education so I can retain my certification and it's fun!