Pulse - March 2021 - 5

JIM BELL

SCVMA PROFILE

Award Winner Lisa Sherrill
Is Passionate About Her Job

isa Sherrill, winner of the SCVMA's 2021
Allied Industry Award, has been working
in the pet nutrition field for most of her
career, starting in her teens.
" I've always had a passion for what I've been doing, "
she said. " I've never not liked my job and I feel a little
spoiled. " She is the western regional manager for Blue
Natural Veterinary Diets, a Blue Buffalo product. She
heads a team of nine representatives, who cover the part
of the United States that is west of the Mississippi River.
" I never thought I'd fall into this field, I thought I'd
become a teacher, " she said, " but, honestly, I feel like I'm
teaching every day and helping. I really do truly love the
support I get. There are many veterinarians that I have
huge respect for who have been very helpful to me. "
Tiffany Schusler, territory manager for the Patterson
Companies, who nominated Lisa for the award, said that
the honoree is " an amazing person who goes above and
beyond for the industry and her clients. She runs a managers group meeting that takes a great deal of her time
and energy in an effort to help them and make their lives
easier. "
Tiffany said that Lisa also has been a willing volunteer
for causes she believes in. " She has worked in an SCVMA
suicide awareness group and was scheduled to volunteer
for the Downtown Dog Rescue free clinics before the
Covid pandemic interrupted its schedule last spring.
" She also recognizes when a clinic needs something
positive and brings them something to cheer them up.
She donates food to groups in need. Her list [of good
deeds] is long. The bottom line is that she is an incredible
person who is always giving back. "
Lisa first worked with pet food as a teenager when she
was employed at Petco. " So I've been around nutrition
for a long time. Good nutrition can really help. If we eat
healthy, we're going to stay healthy and it's the same with
pets. "
While at Petco, Lisa was asked to apply for a job at
Iams. She moved to the job and was soon calling on
national accounts. At age 26, a month before her second
child was born, she took a job selling prescription pet
foods to veterinarians. " It was such a great job, " she said.
" The veterinary industry is amazing. Veterinarians are
so caring. I really learn from them. I love it when they
ask questions and I can ask our technical team or our
R&D team how we can support them. I fell in love with
the veterinary industry because of the technical discussions and how I could provide a product to help them
treat animals and make them feel better. "
She spent a couple of years working in human pharmaceuticals but soon wanted to get back to working

PULSE

MARCH 2021

in the veterinary industry. " Everyone in this industry -
the technicians, the receptionists - there's just a love for
these pets. It's like, 'Gosh, I get to go to work and see
pets all day! How amazing is that.' "
Lisa grew up in Southern California. Her mother
worked for the City of Los Angeles for years. She earned
her degree at the University of LaVerne while in her 20s
after attending Cal State Fullerton earlier.
The family home is in Chino Hills. She and husband Brandon, an assistant controller for a hospital in
Pomona, have three children. Jacob, 23, lives at home and
is attending college. Daughter Madison, 18, is a student
and softball player at the University of North Carolina
at Charlotte. Daughter Jordyn, 12, is a seventh grader. P

Pulse - March 2021

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