Alverno’s Marketing Manager awarded 2024 NWI Times Top 20 Under 40

Steve Euvino

Paige Gonzalez knew she wanted to work in health care, like her mother. Then came anatomy class in college, and she hated it. She turned her attention to business, but her heart was still in health care.

After earning college degrees, Gonzalez, 28, landed her first and current job as marketing manager for Alverno Laboratories. One month after starting work, the pandemic hit. An “all hats” marketing department for a company with 2,000-plus employees, Gonzalez works in contact creation, brand management, digital and social media, and website management.

The Hammond-based company manages 32 hospital laboratories and provides lab services to two free-standing emergency departments and thousands of medical offices and clients, with more than 30 patient centers around Indiana and Illinois.

Since joining Alverno, Gonzalez has tried to be a sponge, “learning anything and everything from the staff.” In addition to attending leadership programs and external classes, she said, “I always help, wherever I can. I’m always willing to assist in any project.”

Gonzalez cites her late grandfather, Edward Labus, as her inspiration. Labus, who died in September 2023, was “like magic,” she said. “He helped anyone he could. He taught us a lot. He made everything a moral story. He always listened and never judged you.”

The former Lake Central High School cheerleader said her biggest challenge professionally was “learning how to transition from school to a career. There was definitely a lot of learning and transitioning from that school mindset.”

Then, Gonzalez said, came “leveraging those skills in a professional setting while the world was completely shut down [with the pandemic].”

The marketing manager pointed to the many good mentors she has had at Alverno who have helped her adapt to the everchanging world of health care and become more versatile.

The former St. John-Crown Point area resident measures success by knowing she works for a company “who cares about the community I grew up in.”

Gonzalez said her late grandfather taught her to be “kind, courteous, and respectful to all those around you.” In addition, she learned, “be a sponge. Learn everything you can. Even if it seems outdated, it will come in handy.”

As a student, Gonzalez said she tended to become overextended. “I learned,” she said, “to take things one day at a time, day by day. Break things down into smaller pieces, instead of trying to do it all at once.”