Take Ten with Team HPNE: Meet Frank Lombari
Learn more about HPNE’s onboarding and training process in this month’s Take Ten with Learning and Development Manager Frank Lombari, who discusses our innovative mock cleanroom, SOP revision process, and more.
You are responsible for teaching all employees about regulations like good manufacturing processes (GMP) and good documentation processes (GDP). How do you believe these standards keep operations running smoothly at HPNE?
The work that we do here directly helps save the lives of so many people. We all have to do our part to ensure that things are made correctly to keep our customers (and their customers) safe, and in order to do that, we need to follow standards and procedures. Without an understanding of GMP and GDocP, it is easy to overlook the importance of these standards.
You work with our staff to help with any revisions to our standard operating procedures (SOP’s), and share updates with the staff. In what ways have you noticed HPNE is consistently striving for more efficient processes?
Nothing ever stays the same for too long. We are constantly improving many aspects of the business to try and better our processes. We collaborate to streamline our procedures to make an effective work environment.
One of our facilities has a mock cleanroom for training new employees, or letting employees practice new procedures. How has that been useful when conducting trainings? Do you find hands-on learning to be effective with some, or all, employees?
Having a mock gown room/cleanroom for training purposes has been indescribably useful. It allows the trainee an opportunity to learn in a realistic replica, providing them a true sense of what they will be doing, without the fear of contaminating anything. Prior to the mock gown room, all gowning training was completed in one of the conference rooms, so the trainee had to imagine a good portion of what they would be doing. Now the mock areas let them experience the environment, so their training is as realistic as possible.
Your career journey has included multiple roles, from Event Coordinator, to Coordinator of Human Resources, and leading to your current role as Learning and Development Manager. How do you believe the skills you gained in each role have built upon one another to make you more effective in your current role?
I think that each of my roles has further developed my people skills. I’ve been fortunate to get to work with a large number of individuals, all with different backgrounds and personalities. Sometimes, it can be difficult to initially know how to navigate working with unfamiliar people. But as I continuously develop in my career, with each role comes a better understanding of how to collaborate with others.
Training has always been a large portion of every job position I have held, so I think that learning different methods has always come pretty naturally for me. It’s how to convey those trainings to such differing groups of people that I feel truly lucky to continue developing.
As the Learning and Development Manager, you are responsible for doing the onboarding of all employees across departments. What are some of your teaching strategies to be able to make onboarding accessible and understandable to a wide range of learning styles?
I think trying my best to not overload the trainee is always crucial. Starting a new job can be so anxiety-inducing for a lot of us. The last thing anyone needs is to be jammed with countless procedures while they are still trying to recall the names of so many new faces.
I like onboarding to be at a comfortable pace that allows natural conversations to help create a comfortable environment while also promoting the new materials. As for the strategies, I try to use a combination of lectures, practical activities, storytelling, hands-on activities, and discussions to help convey the trainings.
What does a typical day in the life of a Learning and Development Manager look like?
My favorite days are always spent delivering trainings. Being in the “classroom” and teaching has always been a passion of mine. When I’m not delivering the trainings, I typically spend my time trying to develop new materials as well as maintaining the Training Module of our QMS systems. I’m fortunate that I get to collaborate with a lot of different employees and I think that only helps me better know how to convey aspects of the business to new hires.
Last year, you were on the team that won our first ever Halloween cube decorating contest, where you were able to show off your love of the holiday. What is your favorite part about halloween, and is there anything specific you are looking forward to for the holiday this year?
I love everything from the costumes to decorating to movies. I’ll admit that since becoming a dad, my outlook to the holiday has slightly changed. I’m kind of looking at this year as a bust, because my daughter is only about 2 years old, so she’s still too young to go trick or treating, let alone really get the holiday. She’s definitely taking after dad though, and loves the spooky decorations.
As for me, I still enjoy all of the horror movies and the decorating, but now I’m just excited for when she’s a little older and can partake in the annual Hocus Pocus rewatch while binging candy in our costumes.
What is one of your favorite places you have traveled to, and why? Do you have any exciting trips planned on the horizon?
I think my favorite trip was when we visited Italy in 2017. It was actually on that trip where I proposed to my now husband. We had gone to Tuscany with about 10 family members and met more of my family there who still lives in Italy. It was just an incredible trip with the best food and sights that I could really describe.
As for trips on the horizon, we don’t have anything currently planned because we just got back from a family trip to Disney. That was another amazing experience to see the parks from a toddler’s eyes. I don’t know what is going to come next for a trip, but I’m already excited to pack the suitcases!
What is something you are passionate about outside of work that #TeamHPNE may not know about?
Hmm, that’s a tough one. I’m actually a pretty creative person so when I’m not at work I like to express that side of myself. Whether it’s writing, drawing, or coming up with some type of home DIY, there’s always art supplies scattered around my home.
Is there anything else you would like us to include in the article?
I think just that if I can provide one piece of advice for people, it’s that when it comes to working with others, don’t be afraid to ask your questions. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard some variation of “this might be a stupid question…”. I’m not going to say that there is no such thing as a stupid question…because trust me, there might be.
But, the chances are that the question you’re afraid of asking has either been asked before or something that someone else wants to know. Nobody knows everything and every single one of us is still learning every single day, so really, don’t ever be afraid to ask.
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About HPNE
As the industry needs grow, High Purity New England, Inc. continues to supply the biopharmaceutical industry with a range of innovative products, from drug discovery and development to fill-finish, including their flagship product, custom single-use assemblies, as well as pumps, sensors, bioreactor systems, storage and handling solutions and other single-use solutions. Along with their own manufactured products for the global market, they are also a distributor for more than 18 brands in North America.
