Every organization or business needs someone to handle the nuts and bolts of the operation. At ABC one of the key people who performs this function is Kathleen Coyne.

Kathleen’s responsibilities are extremely varied. First, she is in charge of sales and customer service. When someone calls ABC to order a book from our Herbal Education Catalog or sends in an order via ABC’s Web site, Kathleen is the person who communicates with the customer and processes the order from phone, the ABC Web site, fax, or mail. She then reviews the order and ensures that the request is fulfilled, either directly from ABC or drop-shipped from the publisher. If there is a customer service concern, Kathleen handles this as well, and she processes all credit card orders and associated bank transactions.

Fulfilling customer orders is only half of the Kathleen equation. Like any small business or other nonprofit organization, employees must often wear many hats and be trained in numerous job functions. Accordingly, in addition to handling order fulfillment and shipping, Kathleen also manages receiving and, since there has to be inventory on hand to sell, Kathleen serves as a purchasing agent, purchasing inventory items, supplies, and materials needed for the ongoing operation of ABC. Her duties also include maintaining the facilities and working with our Finance Coordinator to conduct the quarterly and annual inventory necessary for accounting purposes.

Kathleen also helps to coordinate the shipping of each new issue of HerbalGramfrom the printer to members, ABC, and our magazine distributors. When ABC is preparing to exhibit at a trade show or convention, Kathleen is the person who ensures that the necessary materials are organized and shipped, and then, when they are returned, that they are organized and returned to inventory or storage. ABC reviews many books in HerbalGram and it is Kathleen’s responsibility to communicate with publishers to obtain review copies.

If it weren’t for Kathleen and the many responsibilities she performs, the ongoing business of the organization would be significantly compromised. —Mark Blumenthal