5 Questions With Barbara Allgaier, Business Manager North America, SherpaPharma
Barbara Allgaier is a Business Development Manager in North America for SherpaPharma and a BioBuzz Ambassador of Buzz. In her 5 Questions, she shares how childhood curiosity led to her career, her dedication to connecting and community, and her passion for innovation.
June 19, 2024
| This article is part of our 5 Questions With series, one of our ongoing People & Places Features. We love it because despite the consistent questioning, the answers are all unique. Be sure to FOLLOW us on LinkedIn to tell us what you think. |
1. What did you want to be when you grow up? How’d you get from there to here?
I had an older sister who got married young and then had a son when I was 10 who was around me a lot. My experience in this close-up observation of the creation of life and the tremendous capacities of the human body was the instigation of a lifelong interest in science, biology, cells and human life. Then as an athlete, my focus expanded into nutrition, micro-biology and their impactful role in holistic health. I combined my interest and education to help life science companies with various products that help advance science, research and create life-saving therapies. For the past 2 years, I have been honored to help SherpaPharma (a Spanish company) bring their digital solution for Environmental Monitoring in the cleanrooms of sterile Manufacturers to the USA market which helps companies get their therapies safely and quickly to the patients that need them.
2. How are you helping to build a more connected community?
I met Chris Frew back in 2010 right after I was recruited to work for a company selling QC Microorganism. Prior to that, I had been in a more Analytical instrumentation support & Sales role. The BioBuzz meetings were a great way for me to get connected with others in the region and learn about the various companies, different departments and collaborate with a variety of people. I enjoyed it so much that I was constantly inviting others to attend and building friendships along the way – it has truly been amazing. My ability to network and listen to other people’s needs has helped me excel in my career while helping others as well. I get excited about helping companies get the tools they need to be able to safely and quickly get their products to the market and make it a safer, healthier world with all these exciting life-saving therapies. This connecting of people in similar industries has helped enrich my own life, not just in growing my career but also in developing long-term friendships. I love to share this community with others and I hope I have helped others whose paths I cross by sharing what all the Bio-Buzz is about!!
3. What are currently buzzing about? Anything and everything…
My passion for microbiology and goal to positively impact human health was realized when I started working in this field with QC Micro-organisms. I am so excited now to continue the growth with SherpaPharma’s state-of-the-art technology that really saves companies time and money while helping them ensure product quality during manufacturing. I am excited to educate others in the pharmaceutical industry about the breakthroughs in environmental monitoring and contamination control. Working closely with experts and leaders in the field, SherpaPharma’s work has resulted in the availability of tools that meet a previously unfulfilled industry need for all-size companies — not just the big pharma.
What used to be manually intensive and fraught with human error, is now performed easily using tools that improve efficiency, compliance, and positive audit results. It is so rewarding to hear from clients about how we have helped them so much with their manufacturing and QC-Micro processes.
4. If you could travel back in time – what early career advice would you give yourself?
I feel I have had an awesome career life. I am grateful for the Senior seminar that we had at college where people came back and spoke with the students about how they were using their degrees in different fields — that really opened my eyes to see how one degree can apply to so many different types of jobs. Get out there and talk to others to find out what they are doing and what they like/don’t like. Do what interests you — find things that you enjoy and play to your strengths! Look at what comes easily to you! Try to make your job also your fun – Life is short–don’t overwork!
5. FUN question. What makes you tick?!
As a Pisces, I have a love for the water–whether it be lakes, oceans or streams — they all soothe my soul. I love to waterski, paddle board and just be outside enjoying this wonderful world. Additionally, the desire to make others happy around me has served me well and it continues to bring me joy. Being the 6th of 7 children set the stage for me being a people person — Now as a single mother of a teenage son — I can truly say that my friends have grown into the larger family for us. We love to go bike riding or listen to live music with friends, or I enjoy just hanging out with my son to hear about his day! And of course, I get great joy in helping another customer ease their workload by using the SherpaPharma EM system!
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