Dick Slade of BIS Technologies, Scottsdale, Arizona modestly calls himself a one-man band. "I am just a guy with a telephone and computer looking for business," he said. Slade is seeking other interested people to do business with in Mexico and Latin America.

"The reason I am in Arizona is its proximity to Mexico," he said. "When I started, NAFTA had just been approved. It really looked like this was going to be a smart thing since the state in Mexico which borders Arizona (Sonora) is not served well by either the equipment dealers in California or Texas."

To his dismay, far from opening doors to trade in used medical equipment, NAFTA seems to be a barrier. "It's that old saying from the government-- 'we're here to help.' The problem is the Mexicans' interpretation of NAFTA. It used to be that the border was easier to get things across [before] the regulation and the supervision that NAFTA brought in. So it has actually restricted business."


Slade, who for over a decade has dealt in a variety of medical equipment from defibrillators and exam tables to nuclear cameras, finds that Arizona has used equipment to sell but he's facing the challenge of making connections south of the border and building a regular base of repeat customers.

"I've got an advantage based on proximity and lower transportation costs and also there aren't a lot of people beating down the doors of hospitals here in Arizona looking for this equipment, unlike California, Texas and Florida," he said. "The problem has been finding real people to deal with in Mexico. There have got to be guys down there dying to meet guys like me."

DOTmed has helped. "My business in the last three to four years has grown and a large percentage is due to DOTmed. It's true that people have been contacting me that I would not have otherwise heard from other than that I listed something on DOTmed. It's becoming the `ebay' of medical equipment...the place most people are gravitating toward."

Nevertheless, significant work and networking remains to be done. "I would sell to providers or brokers and dealers in Mexico with contacts. That would be much more efficient."

Slade is also cultivating other markets, including the Middle East, but remains focused on Latin America.

"There's a huge opportunity there. We've got a huge need, a pretty good supply but we've got some barriers whether it's information and communications or government interference or frankly a lot of mistrust. There are things that are blocking us but I don't understand why the need and the supply can't be met in open market countries."

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