I enjoy nature and the physical activities that allow me to travel and sightsee without using a motor.

Meet Andrea

Andrea Symons, Senior Support Specialist, is an avid cyclist who loves the pace of her position and being part of the company community. She earned her degree in business administration at California State University and joined Labcyte in March 2015.

What does your job entail?

I provide support to Labcyte’s service team, coordinate field service visits, and oversee spare part shipments to customers. As the sole support administrator, I handle a lot of logistics: Internal depot upgrades and repairs, refurbished equipment sales, RMA approvals, decontamination certifications, warranties and contracts, transportation, database updates and maintenance. I also maintain the CRM database with new install records, Device History Records, and processes service tickets for new Echo/Access install orders and repair service tickets for customer service requests. Communication is also key, as I process service requests and relay status updates to both internal and external customers.

What’s your favorite part of the job?

I love it when things go smoothly, which is not always the case with service. Every day, I run into new challenges, but I get to apply the skills and experiences gained over the years to overcome them. I also learn more about the technology that makes Labcyte a leader. I enjoy knowing that I’ve made a difference in the day of a customer or field service engineer.

What do you do in your spare time?

You can often find me on my bike or on the trails hiking. I enjoy nature and the physical activities that allow me to travel and sightsee without using a motor. A few years ago, after Christmas, I rode my bike from Santa Barbara all the way back to San Jose in three days. I’ve done a 24-hour ride from Truckee to San Francisco with a group of riders, and I used to be very active in the Randonneuring community. Cycling makes one feel like a kid again, and it gets one out into nature and in contact with others who share the same passion.

If you could cure any disease, what would it be and why?

I believe many diseases can be prevented and possibly cured by paying attention to what we eat. Eating a plant-based diet has many positive side effects, including weight loss, lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure. In combination with daily physical activity like walking, jogging, hiking, people may even be able to avoid medications.

What’s your best career advice?

Get to know the people in your company by attending company functions like BBQs and potlucks, and learn about what they’re into outside of work. Also, be a role model for others by setting an example, like bike commuting to work.