By Natalie Fox
Sophomore, Communication

Department alumnus Johnny LeBlanc put 108,000 miles on his car within 16 months so he could be as visible as possible to his customers of Cook Medical. That kind of dedication since his graduation in 2005 has led to rewards: LeBlanc was recently made the youngest regional manager ever for Cook.

		Johnny LeBlanc

LeBlanc didn't set out to set the medical sales world on fire. In fact, the summer before his senior year, he beat out over 10,000 applicants for an internship with ESPN. But he later turned down a full-time position with ESPN.

"Working for ESPN gave me a reality check that sports is a passion not a career," said LeBlanc. "The great thing about sales is that you determine your own fate by the efforts that you put forth."

But it was actually the medical side of the business that attracted LeBlanc, who helped take care of his sick grandmother while he was in college.

He was the first college student hired within the Aortic Intervention division as an apprentice at Cook, a leader in developing health care devices. He quickly progressed past the apprentice role and shifted to a district manager position within two months.

As district manager, he worked out of the operating room and helped doctors learn to use surgical equipment for repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, thoracic aneurysms, thoracic dissections and rupture procedures.

LeBlanc said he remembers getting a call at 10 p.m. on a Saturday and driving a 3-hour distance in a little more than half that time to run a graft into an operating room. "The physician mentioned to me that if it wasn't for me driving in that graft that night, the patient would be deceased. This is why I love my job."

LeBlanc finished as the 2006 Rookie of the Year for Cook Medical, and then went on to finish 2007 as the Global Representative of the Year for the A-I division of Cook. 

February of 2008 presented a new challenge with him being named the youngest Regional Manager in Cook history. In addition to overseeing 14 District Managers in the Northeast Region, he also helps launch new products and run trials at large teaching institutions, such as Yale and Dartmouth.

"I owe a lot of thanks to the Communication Department for helping me develop into who I am today," said LeBlanc.

LeBlanc attributes his success to his willingness to go above and beyond all requirements to be there for physicians, and to his motivation to outwork his co-workers and competitors.

But there is also a different kind of satisfaction that comes with his job.

"Having a patient's family come up to me after surgery and personally thanking me for helping to save their Dad's life," he said. "There is nothing more gratifying than someone thanking you for saving another person's life."