Meet Kathy Mays | Meeting Planner- Pharmaceuticals

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathy Mays and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathy, what is the most important factor behind your success?
There are many elements that make a brand/company successful; hard work, dedication, perseverance, efficiency. But for me, the greatest contributing factor has been kindness. This is a philosophy that has so many beautiful facets. It’s not just remembering someone’s birthday, making sure you offer someone’s favorite dessert at an event, or sending an email of good luck to your colleague when they have something important happening in their life. It is having an attitude of kindness: treating everyone equally and fairly, accepting people who have limitations, and praising them for their unique gifts and talents. I think your attitude is everything in life. Treating others the way you would want to be treated,  is crucial to success as a business person and a human being. I not only live by this rule but my staff abides by this too. When you have a team of people working with you, it is important that you all have a common goal. Ours is kindness. I think that thoughtfulness and generosity fall under this umbrella. Going the extra mile for someone- making sure that others are comfortable, thinking about those around you before yourself. Working collaboratively, not competitively. I don’t believe in getting to the top by stepping on others.

What should our readers know about your business?
At CAMCO Healthcare, we believe that in order to be effective event organizers, we must constantly be focused on our client’s goals; not only meeting these goals, but surpassing them. We must put ourselves in the perspective of our audience. We strive to maintain the highest level of efficiency and service- ensuring everyone has what they want before they even know they want it. I am most proud of the relationships that I have been fortunate enough to have and continue to nurture with my clients, colleagues, team and even competitors. The foundation of our success lies in our unrelenting focus of building strong relationships and partnerships with our clients and their key opinion leaders.

How did I get to where I am today business wise?
With event planning, even the most well-organized event,  has hiccups along the way. Staying calm and focused always helps with the outcome. At CAMCO, every meeting and event, regardless of its venue or size, is given the same level of importance and dedication. You never know the impact that you have, where it will lead, and the impression your work makes on others.

What do you want the world to know?
It is not only the event or the work that you do, but in the manner you do it. When you treat others graciously and with respect, I have found the door is always left open; just waiting for you to return. I think that showing compassion, generosity and consideration is crucial to success. I have expressed this view with others and some have thought this was foolish or naive. But I disagree. I think when you maintain these values people respect you more, you become more influential because people seek your advice since you are more comfortable to be around; when you demonstrate these attributes genuinely; that is when real connections form.

What lessons have you learned along the way?
I feel that you learn just as much from your mistakes as your successes. I have also paid very close attention to those whom I truly admired in the workforce. I have witnessed others wanting to cultivate relationships only with those with positions of power; whereas they think that these relationships will help them “get ahead faster or achieve more.” I couldn’t disagree more with this way of thinking. I want to give everyone the same value regardless of position or what they might be able to do for me or my company in the future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am fortunate enough to live in a beautiful area of south Florida. But my first question to my best friend would be what they would like to do and what interests them- as we have such a variety of things to do and see in our area. If it were a week-long trip I would take them to the museums, the theatre for music, the beautiful restaurants that we have along the beach and the intercoastal. Take them for a round of golf or spend some time at one of our well-known spas. Whether we charter a fishing boat, lay on the beach, or climb the Jupiter Lighthouse to enjoy a spectacular view, it is always a wonderful time in South Florida.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be here today, doing something I absolutely love, if it were not for those that have had faith in me. Everyone needs just one chance. I am humbled again and again that I have been able to continue to work with clients that believe in me, my team and my ethics. I of course, would not be the person I am if it were not for my family and my children- that teach me new things each day. And finally, I would like to recognize those that have made my life difficult. Those who have shown me little to no compassion; that have bullied, belittled and hurt me. If I could change any of it, I wouldn’t change a thing. These experiences have taught me how not to treat others. Who are we, really, if we don’t value and continue learning from the people around us?

Website: camcohealthcare.com

Linkedin: Kathy-Bell Mays @ camcohealthcare