At ZAGENO, every team plays a vital role in making lab supply procurement seamless for scientists. But behind the scenes, ensuring that thousands of suppliers are in sync with the platform is no small feat. That’s where Jayme Workinger comes in. As Supplier Partnership Manager, she’s the bridge between suppliers, customers, and ZAGENO, making sure everything runs smoothly. No two days are the same for biochemistry Ph.D. and former lab manager Jayme, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jayme’s day usually starts the night before. “I like to end my days looking at what’s coming up. If I have an important supplier meeting, I need to make sure I have enough prep time and get the data we need to have a productive call.”
To tackle her workload, she starts early; really early. “I usually like to start at seven. I work through the morning and then take a breather, see what I need to do, and readjust.” That breather often involves a walk or a quick spin on the Peloton, something to help her decompress and think through her priorities for the rest of the day.
A big part of Jayme’s job is balancing the needs of suppliers and the ZAGENO marketplace. “I’m not only an advocate of ZAGENO to suppliers; sometimes I’m also the advocate of suppliers to us.” Suppliers want to know how their products are performing, sales trends, customer interest, and how they can grow their presence on the platform. Meanwhile, ZAGENO needs suppliers to provide complete and accurate product data to ensure a smooth customer experience.
Working with thousands of suppliers requires agility, and that’s where ZAGENO thrives. “Because my team is small but mighty, we can move quickly and adapt to supplier and customer needs in real-time.”
Jayme isn’t just a friendly voice on the phone with suppliers; she’s been in their customers’ shoes. Having spent years in the lab, she knows firsthand how difficult it can be to find the right lab supplies. “I used to be a customer, and the biggest challenge is finding the products you need from the right places. That’s why, when I was interviewing with ZAGENO, I thought their offering was genius.”
For suppliers, ZAGENO levels the playing field. “Because we are supplier agnostic in our search, even smaller suppliers can compete with big-name brands. Their products show up where customers are looking, which wouldn’t happen on Google or other commerce platforms.”
And for customers, it’s a lifesaver. “Instead of spending hours hopping between supplier websites or catalogs, they can find what they need in one place, with transparent pricing and availability.”
Learn how scientists save 6–10 hours per week by ordering lab supplies with ZAGENO.
At ZAGENO, supplier success is a priority. Whether it's onboarding new suppliers, optimizing product visibility, or helping them grow their presence, Jayme and her team, working in tandem with ZAGENO’s Customer Success and Catalog teams, are there to guide them through the process. “We see ourselves as an extension of their team. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for suppliers to connect with customers and increase their sales.”
The supplier onboarding process is meant to be easy. After the contracting phase, all that’s needed is from suppliers is to provide product files. Then the ZAGENO team helps grow those sales from there. “What ultimately shocks a lot of suppliers is, ‘That's all I have to do?’ Yep, that's all you have to do.”
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Jayme started her career by earning her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Syracuse University. “I always knew I wanted to help advance science and research, but after spending years in the lab, I realized I wanted to pursue the business side of things.” She transitioned into industry, working at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she discovered a love for contracts and negotiation.
Now at ZAGENO, she continues to use her scientific background, such as helping the Catalog team categorize products, recruiting suppliers with innovative products to add to the marketplace, supporting AI and machine learning projects, and translating complex supplier information into actionable insights for the sales team. “Not everyone can speak about research in a way that’s comprehensive and concise. Suppliers love their products, but getting them to distill 50 pages of information into succinct copy that speaks to customers? That’s a skill.”
Jayme is excited about ZAGENO’s new search filters, which she describes as a game-changer. “We take millions of products, different categories, thousands of suppliers, and try to cohesively put them together so that customers can actually find what they need. That’s huge.”
At the end of the day, whether it’s solving a supplier’s problem, helping a customer get the right product, or making sure things run smoothly behind the scenes, Jayme’s goal is simple: “We’ve got to support our mutual customer. The customer has to have the best experience. That’s what we’re here for.”
Want to make lab supply procurement easier? Whether you're a supplier looking to grow or a scientist searching for the right products, ZAGENO is here to help. Contact us to explore how we streamline the process and bring the right products to the right people.