From the August 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


Business is about people
If you got a little lost navigating all those business transactions, you’re not alone. The increasing complexity and consolidation of the independent medical equipment industry is no secret, but many people may not realize how closely Ed Sloan is linked to different organizations.

Indeed, his fingerprints can be seen all over the industry.
Ed served as an incubator for many, many companies and even though people left him to start their own businesses, he always maintained good relationships with them. As a matter of fact, I don't know of anyone who has ever had a bad word to say about Ed. He is a fellow who never loses his temper and never loses his cool. Also, I don't know if I've ever heard of him burning a bridge.

I asked Ed who he credits his success to and he immediately named Paul Thomas as a mentor; a former R Squared employee who later did some consulting for ReMedPar.

“It wasn’t something where you could say ‘Paul said this’ but just a combination, where he helped me through a host of tough mental things,” he recalled. “He gave me a lot of creativity that was simple and effective, that I don’t think others would have been able to do.”

Back in the waiting room
I got a little sidetracked there and forgot to tell you what happened when the unhappy administrator finally arrived at the Washington state facility where Ed was sitting after taking a red-eye flight the night before.

He didn’t have the necessary part with him, but it had been ordered and was en route from New York. In those days, you could take a part to the airport and transport it on a flight as if it were a piece of checked luggage, (they called it “counter-to-counter”).

When the administrator arrived, the service engineer told him that Ed Sloan from the parts company was in the lobby waiting for him.

“So Ed, you flew out here just to see me?,” he asked.

“Yessir,” Ed replied. “I flew out here to sit and wait for that part to arrive and let you take out any anger you may have about this situation on me.”

From that point on, as Ed tells the story, the administrator was the most agreeable guy you ever met. Meanwhile, a biomed was at the airport to retrieve the part, which arrived on schedule. By 2 p.m. that afternoon the facility was back in business, scanning patients.

August 2019 Magazine

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