How she shines: Donna's connection to the cleaning industry began long before it became her career. At just 14 years old, Donna was already working alongside her father, helping finish gym floors and even painting the lines. What began as a teenager helping her dad grew into a lifelong commitment to the jan/san industry and, ultimately, to the people who make it special. Today, as Director of Business Development for Triple S, Donna brings decades of industry experience and a unique perspective shaped by years working for an independent jan/san distributor. She understands firsthand the opportunities and challenges independent distributors face, and she uses that experience every day to help Triple S Members grow, solve problems, build stronger supplier relationships, and take advantage of new opportunities.
But what makes Donna truly remarkable extends well beyond her job responsibilities. Donna saw an opportunity to create something that was missing within our organization: a community where women from across our member and supplier companies could connect, learn from one another, develop professionally, and support each other. From that vision, EMPWR was born. Under her leadership and with her personal commitment, EMPWR has grown to more than 120 women from Triple S member and supplier companies. Through EMPWR, Donna has helped create relationships among women who might otherwise never have met, encouraged women to share their experiences and expertise, and created opportunities for professional development, mentorship, friendship, and connection.
That ability to bring people together is characteristic of Donna. Whether she is visiting a member, participating in an industry event, supporting a supplier partner, welcoming someone new to Triple S, or encouraging another woman in her career, Donna gives generously of her time, knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm. Her commitment to the industry is evident in the relationships she has built throughout her career and in the genuine affection and respect she receives in return.
Donna has spent her career helping others succeed. Through EMPWR, she is also helping ensure that the next generation of women in our industry has a stronger network, a louder voice, and more opportunities to lead. From a 14-year-old working on gym floors beside her father to an industry leader creating opportunities for more than 120 women, Donna Ouellette truly represents what it means to be a Woman of Clean.
Years in the industry: 30 years
Job responsibilities: As Director of Business Development for Triple S, Donna works closely with independent jan/san distributors to help them grow their businesses and maximize the value of their Triple S membership. Her responsibilities include developing strong relationships with members, identifying sales and growth opportunities, supporting the adoption of Triple S supplier programs, facilitating connections between members and supplier partners, and providing individualized support based on each Member's business needs.
Donna also represents Triple S throughout the industry at member events, supplier meetings, training programs, trade shows, and other industry functions. In addition to her core business development responsibilities, she plays a leadership role in initiatives that strengthen engagement and professional development within the Triple S community, including EMPWR, the women's network she helped establish and continues to lead.
Career path: Donna's professional career began in independent distribution with Knight Marketing Southeast New England, the family business she would eventually purchase and operate herself. After selling the company to Universal Gold in 1998, Donna spent more than 15 years with Universal Gold, ultimately becoming Vice President of Sales and Operations. There, she was responsible for driving sales growth while overseeing department leaders and day-to-day operations.
Industry consolidation brought new opportunities and broader responsibilities. Following Universal Gold's merger with New England Office Supply in 2014, and later New England Office Supply's merger with W.B. Mason, Donna served as Regional Sales Manager, managing key accounts and working with sales teams to deliver Jan/San solutions to customers. In 2018, Donna chose to broaden her industry experience by moving to the manufacturing side with Chemtex. As Regional Sales Manager, she worked through distribution, helping distributor partners grow their spill-control business and supporting solutions for their customers. Donna joined Triple S in 2022 as Director of Business Development. Her background as an independent business owner, distributor executive, sales leader, and manufacturer representative gives her a unique ability to understand the needs of the independent distributors she supports today.
The common thread throughout Donna's career has been her ability to build relationships, understand people's needs, and help them succeed. Her career has not simply moved from one position to the next; each chapter has added another perspective that she now brings to her members, supplier partners, colleagues, and the broader jan/san community.
Best advice received: "In every situation, try to always be the solution."
This is a philosophy she has carried throughout her career. Rather than simply identifying a problem, Donna believes in listening, understanding what is needed, and finding a way to help move things forward. Whether she is working with a customer, member, supplier partner, or colleague, she approaches challenges by asking what she can do to help solve them. That solution-oriented mindset has become a defining part of how Donna works and leads, and has helped her build the strong, trusted relationships she has maintained throughout her career.
Fun fact: Donna was her high school's prom queen! The best part of that story may be that Donna's parents were very strict and had given her a firm curfew on prom night. After she was crowned, one of her teachers encouraged her to call home and ask whether being named prom queen might earn her a later curfew. Fortunately, her parents agreed!
For someone who has spent her career bringing people together and building relationships wherever she goes, perhaps the "prom queen" part isn't all that surprising after all.