Speakers

Nancy Berkowitz is vice president of supply chain sales for Dimensional Insight. She joined the company in October of 2001 as an industry director and is now responsible for supporting DI's business activities in all supply chain related industries. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the manufacturing and distribution industry to DI and has been successful in providing customized managerial and marketing solutions at the corporate and brand levels. Nancy has held various positions in marketing and management, holds a BS in Marketing and Finance from Boston University, and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Miami.

Beth L. Bowen serves as executive director for trade associations specific to home medical equipment services and has led the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services (NCAMES) since 1991. Her primary responsibilities include planning education, networking and advocacy events; managing day-to-day operations of the association; member services; industry advocacy and regulatory work, both federal and state; and communications and public relations efforts. NCAMES is recognized across the nation as a leader and one of the premiere state associations. Bowen received her bachelor of science from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Bowen has held several board positions for the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC) and is currently serving on its executive committee. AENC awarded Bowen its "Outstanding CEO Award" for 2008-2009 and The VGM Group recognized her as the CEO of the Year for 2009. Bowen serves on several industry task forces and the AAHomecare State Leaders Council. She's also a founding member of the Committee to Save Independent Home Medical Equipment Suppliers.

Dexter Braff, president of The Braff Group, has more than 25 years experience in healthcare mergers and acquisitions. Prior to forming The Braff Group, he was an associate and senior appraiser with Telesis Mergers & Acquisitions. He also served as regional director of finance for Foster Medical Corporation. Dexter has written numerous feature articles on mergers and acquisitions and finance, and has authored the chapter on Home Health Care Valuation in the Handbook of Business Valuation published by John Wiley & Sons. Additionally, Dexter is a frequent speaker at major industry conferences and state association meetings. Dexter holds an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, where he received the Vincent W. Lanfear Award for academic achievement; a Master of Science from the University of Oregon; and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.

Jay Broadbent has excelled greatly in his 14 years as president of Alpine Home Medical Equipment. He started his career as a student attending BYU Idaho and later California State University, Sacramento, earning a degree in Business Finance. In 1994, just after graduation, Jay and his family moved to Utah—viewing the experience as "coming home." Upon arrival, Jay began working for a local competitor as a rehab salesman, selling a range of power chairs, including high-end rehab. He enjoyed his work, saying that he "loved the people and loved the community." In 1997, with the help of two investors, Jon Cannon and Bob Breinholt, Jay opened his own doors in Salt Lake with a primary focus on rehab. He has also reached additional success in sales of bath aids and bent metal. He continues to enjoy the people and community of the home medical equipment industry and is delighted seeing his business continually grow. Alpine Home Medical Equipment has grown from 1 employee in 1997 to more than 100 employees in 2011.

Kim Brummett is currently employed with Advanced Home Care (AHC), a leading company providing home medical equipment (HME), infusion therapy, rehabilitation equipment and home health. In her 15-year tenure as the vice president of contracting and reimbursement, she has participated in the growth of the company from three branches to 25 in four states, managing reimbursement, non-clinical training, contracting and government relations. Further, Kim has pioneered electronic document exchange in the HME industry, using web-based applications to improve the efficiency of physician orders and communication with payers. Additionally, over the past 12 years, Kim has consulted nationally on reimbursement guidelines, operational process design, management and leadership skill development, IT solutions and utilization, and accounts receivable management. In addition to consulting, Kim is an active advocate, participant and volunteer in the industry. She's currently the chair of the Jurisdiction C Advisory Council for Cigna Government Services. She also serves as immediate past president and a board member for the North Carolina Association of Medical Equipment Services (NCAMES); a member of the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) Advisory Committee; and chairwoman of the Regulatory Council for AAHomecare. In total, Kim has been in the HME, infusion and home health industry since 1997. She completed her M.B.A in May 2011.

Don Davis is president of Duckridge Advisors, a merger, acquisition and business advisory firm focused on the HME Industry. Duckridge Advisors appeals to well-managed small and mid-sized HME companies seeking to identify and achieve their strategic M&A objectives. Don has raised nearly a billion dollars for companies over his career and completed acquisitions totaling $350 million on four continents. He has served as the CFO of a billion dollar multinational firm, as well as several successful start-ups. Don is a graduate of Duquesne University and a Certified Public Accountant.

Rick Glass is president of Steven Richards & Associates, Inc. and has negotiated the sale of more than 125 HME/respiratory businesses since 1994. He has extensive experience in developing strategic growth plans and implementing systems and controls to increase operating profits. Previously, Rick served as a senior manager with Arthur Andersen for seven years, providing financial services to a wide variety of businesses. He has a comprehensive knowledge of business acquisitions and divestitures and their tax consequences. Rick holds a Bachelor of Science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He's also a Certified Public Accountant and member of AICPA and FICPA.

Dan Gooch began his professional career with IBM in 1979 in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Dan completed the IBM Management School in Armonk. N.Y. in 1985 and continued his career with the company in various management assignments until he accepted an early retirement after 15 years. He held positions as general manager and regional director of commercial property management with Glimcher Realty Trust and Edens and Avant for the next 14 years. Dan joined the family owned Pal-Med Diabetic Supplies Company in 2004. Pal-Med specializes in providing diabetic infusion pumps and diabetic supplies. Pal-Med has a patient base of approximately 6,000 beneficiaries and has been in business for 17 years. Pal-Med, along with two other diabetic supply companies formed a network provider group to bid in the Round 1 re-bid of the national Medicare competitive bid program. Dan is currently serving his second term as the president of the South Carolina Medical Equipment Services Association. He and his wife Jennie are active in their community, residing in Cayce S.C.

Steven Landers, MD, MPH, is a family doctor and geriatrician at Cleveland Clinic where he directs the Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation. Dr. Landers' clinical practice emphasizes in-home geriatric assessment and in-home primary care for vulnerable elders, and his administrative responsibilities include serving as medical director and chief executive for Cleveland Clinic's home care services, including its Medicare certified home health agency, hospice, home infusion pharmacy, and home respiratory therapy programs. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. He completed his residency and fellowship at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and Cleveland Clinic, respectively. Dr. Landers has authored several articles and given numerous national and international presentations on his research, policy proposals and experiences as a homecare physician. He serves on the board of directors of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians and was honored as the National Association for Home Care and Hospice's (NAHC) "Physician of The Year" for 2009.

Scott Lloyd co-founded Extrakare LLC in 2004 with the vision of creating a respiratory-focused supplier of home medical equipment that offered innovative, patient-friendly products serving the greater metro-Atlanta area. The company's strategy has been well received. In 2009 Inc. Magazine recognized Extrakare as the 8th fastest-growing private healthcare business in the nation. Extrakare was ranked 118th in the same ranking in 2010. Lloyd serves on the board of directors of AAHomecare and chairs the association's HME/RT Council. He also serves on the Communications Committee of the Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers. Prior to founding Extrakare, Lloyd served as president of Xerox Audio Visual Solutions, one of the nation's premier audio-visual integration firms. Lloyd earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Emory University's Goizueta Business School.

Michael J. Meredith, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of management and corporate communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He teaches a course in social media for M.B.A students, courses in management and corporate communication for undergraduate students, and conducts executive coaching at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. Professionally, he is a former sales channel and go-to-market strategy consultant who has worked with clients in the United States, Europe and South America. His research interests and expertise include organizational utilization of emerging technologies, communication, social psychology and sales strategy.

Teresa Glass Owens is president/CEO of Glass Seating and Mobility (GSM). She founded GSM in 2001 with a focus on creating a center of excellence for complex rehab/assistive technology. Prior to opening GSM, she worked for several years in HME sales with an emphasis on custom rehab, and developed and managed a rehab department at a former HME/Respiratory employer. GSM offers full-service, complex rehab equipment for adults and pediatrics with three locations: Memphis, Tenn.; Huntsville, Ala.; Little Rock, Ark. GSM cultivates a family oriented work environment, with the majority of its ATPs having more than 20 years of experience.

Rick Perrotta is president/owner of Network Medical Supply located in Charlotte, N.C. He started the company 16 years ago and specializes in mobility products. While the company used to provide rehab mobility, as well as consumer power, today it provides consumer power only. The company is a successful bid winner for consumer power in the Charlotte region. Rick holds a degree in business administration from the University of Dayton. Prior to forming Network Medical Supply, he spent 10 years as a CPA with an international accounting firm and then started up two companies in the industrial video industry.

Jonathan Sadock has more than 30 years of entrepreneurial experience in healthcare business development, sales, marketing, and mergers and acquisitions. Jonathan joined Paragon Ventures in 1999 and the firm has successfully completed more than 135 transactions in 43 states across the United States. In 1979 Jonathan founded PRN-The As Needed Company, a capital equipment rental and asset management services company and a master distributor for MEDIQ, Inc. He was also founder of Medtech Biomedical Services Inc., a biomedical equipment maintenance and repair business. Medtech was subsequently merged with PRN and in 1990 the combined companies were sold to Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI), an international healthcare company. The merged companies were then sold to MEDIQ in 1994. Jonathan then co-founded Associated Resource Management Services, LLC (ARMS), an asset management firm serving hospitals, nursing homes and home medical equipment (HME) providers. Jonathan is a member of the American Marketing Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society. Jonathan frequently writes articles for healthcare trade journals and newsletters, and presents seminars on asset management, business development, and mergers and acquisitions.

Bob Shellenberger is the owner and director of compliance and regulatory affairs for Qualicare Home Medical. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Bachelor of Science in Health Related Professions. He has worked in home care for 20 years and, prior to that, acute care for 15 years. He is past president of the Pennsylvania Society for Respiratory Care and a past delegate for the American Association For Respiratory Care House of Delegates.

Greg Spratt BS, RRT, CPFT has been involved in multiple facets of respiratory care for over 30 years including staff therapist, department director, pulmonary/cardiac rehab director, consultant, home care, author, and manufacturing. Greg spent 25 years with a primary focus on home respiratory care including serving as chief clinical officer for the nation's 3rd largest provider and serves as the AARC's Home Care Section Chair and on the AARC Board of Directors. Greg currently works as the director of clinical marketing for Oridion Capnography and lives with his wife and youngest son in rural northeast Missouri. He graduated from Truman State University in 1981 with a BS in Biology. RT started in 1981 as OJT earning credentials in 1985 (CRT, RRT, CPFT) after completing Biosystems Institute RT program.

Lisa Wells is the director of marketing for UroMed, Inc., one of the nation's largest providers of urological supplies. A veteran of online marketing and e-commerce, Lisa offers more than 15 years of leadership experience in public relations, marketing communications and web-based product management at medical device and healthcare/human resources technology companies. She has also advised on the development of numerous electronic/web, social media and e-marketing programs for HME providers nationwide.