Repertoire Magazine

Promoting Excellence in Healthcare Sales

Learn. Network. Succeed.

HMMC recognizes 30th year

For HMMC members, a brief tag line – Learn. Network. Succeed. – carries the same force and sense of purpose it did 20 years ago, when retired 3M marketing executive Owen McBride coined it.

Now 30 years old, the Healthcare Manufacturers Management Council was founded by the late Bill McKnight, publisher of Medical Products Sales magazine in Northfield, Ill. The organization brings together 130 senior-level executives in sales, marketing, corporate accounts and general management from healthcare manufacturers to foster learning and peer interaction. They meet twice a year for HMMC’s Spring and Fall Conferences, and for webinars on current topics.

Educational sessions cover a range of topics, including:

  • Marketing strategies.
  • Supply chain.
  • Branding and private label.
  • GPOs, IDNs, providers.
  • Regulations and reimbursement.
  • New markets.
  • Leadership skills.

With help from HMMC member (and third president) Jack Addicks, Repertoire gathered comments about the organization from a number of members, some whose membership dates back to the organization’s founding.

The vision
“Bill McKnight’s vision was for the organization to fill a void between the functions of the existing distribution group, HIDA (Health Industry Distributors Association) and the manufacturer’s group, HIMA (Health Industry Manufacturers Association, now AdvaMed),” recalls Jim Baum, vice president marketing and sales, W.A. Baum Co., Inc. (and HMMC’s first president). “At the time, I had been in the industry 11 years, with my role as vice president beginning in 1984 after working as a district manager in six Southeastern states.

“Bill made a strong case for the need to separate the marketing function from the sales function. He also felt that manufacturers, by nature, did not share information as readily as their distributor partners. So, with a couple of exploratory meetings and a group of hand-picked manufacturers, Bill launched the Healthcare Manufacturers Marketing Council (now Healthcare Manufacturers Management Council).

“As a small company representative, I have been able to interact with high-level industry leaders from the distributor community, the provider community and the manufacturing community, which would otherwise have been impossible,” says Baum. “At our conferences we have a rare opportunity to share a cocktail and a meal, participate in a charitable activity, or share a panel with colleagues and customers in a relaxed atmosphere, free from the pressures of the corporate environment.”

‘Cream of the crop’
Jack Addicks was director of marketing for Becton Dickinson’s Clay Adams Division (later BD Primary Care Diagnostics) when McKnight approached him at an ASTA (now HIDA) convention about forming an association for marketing leaders.

“For me, this was a perfect time to get involved, as I was a new director of marketing and saw the benefits of expanding my marketing education and networking with a group of talented marketers across leading medical device companies – the cream of the crop,” says Addicks, president of Keystone Consulting Associates (and current HMMC membership chairman).

“I have gained significant knowledge, friendships and camaraderie over the 30 years, which I doubt I would have been able to attain from the medical device companies that I worked for. Being exposed to many of the notable senior leaders in our industry has been an extremely worthwhile and wonderful experience. I have been able to ‘give back’ to this great professional association as a member, officer and board member over the years.”

‘A great place to network’
Don Nymberg was working for B. Braun Medical in corporate accounts, with responsibility for the company’s distributor relationships, when he joined HMMC 10 years ago. “While attending distributor national sales meetings, I got to know Don Lovre, who at the time was with Quidel,” says Nymberg, vice president, OPM Division, B. Braun Medical Inc. – and current HMMC president.

“Don said it was a great place to network, and that the meetings had great content and interesting speakers. It was a good time for me to join, because I was looking to increase my networking within the industry and [access] ongoing education. I’ve networked, gained friendships, learned a great deal and gained information and insight that has helped both me and my organization succeed.”

Take-aways
John Brezack, president and CEO of Dale Medical Products Inc., recalls being approached about joining HMMC in 1991 by Leonard Berke, Cincinnati Sub-Zero, and Mark Richards, PyMaH Corp.

“Both Lenny and Mark were friendly with my father, Irving Brezack, who was the president and owner of Dale at the time, so I reviewed their correspondence and decided to attend a conference. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a slate of industry experts presenting topics that ranged from distributor-manufacturer relations, to FDA regulations, to sales force compensation. Equally important, I was introduced to many of my peers from companies large and small in our medical device industry. I was thrilled to meet icons like John Moran from Welch-Allyn, Don Kitzmiller from Midmark, and Jim Baum from W.A. Baum.

“Through the 26 years of my membership with HMMC, I have learned so much from the speakers and panelists on the agendas, and I have always left each conference with at least two or three ‘take-aways’ that would greatly benefit our company. I have also been fortunate to have served the organization on the two separate terms of membership of the board of directors, and on various committees.”

A personal board of directors
“When I first started attending the HMMC meetings, I felt like a sponge,” says Janis Dezso, vice president of sales – core, Bovie Medical Corp. “I was a young executive at the time and was eager to learn from the experts, and who better to learn from than people who had already paved the way and made the mistakes?

“I truly believe that all business professionals, no matter where they are in their career, need a personal board of directors, that is, a group of mentors that can give you honest feedback, provide guidance and challenge when needed. Through HMMC, I have the best of the best on my personal board of directors.

“I still love the opportunity to discuss and debate the industry, its changes and learn how other manufacturers are maneuvering in an ever-changing environment. Now, however, I feel that I also have an opportunity to give back by helping and guiding the newer generation of young executives who will one day be the industry leaders.”

A resource of peers
Gerry LoDuca, president and founder of DUKAL Corp., joined HMMC about 10 years ago. “The industry has been changing for a long time, and I was very interested in industry information and how the changes were impacting other companies and what they were doing to adapt to the new market,” he says.

“It’s hard to put a value on the relationships and friends I have gained since being involved with HMMC, and I do believe the industry respects and prefers to do business with those committed to healthcare. Membership at HMMC will continue to provide a resource of peers as well as conferences, which afford us to be smarter and better at what we do.”

Transition period
“I joined HMMC in 2007 when I moved from field sales manager to a marketing director role at B. Braun,” recalls Erik Graaf, director of OPM sales, B. Braun Medical Inc. “It was good for me to join during this transition. The content at the meetings allowed me to gain exposure to a variety of topics that were helpful in my new role and personal growth. In addition, I was able to meet individuals in similar roles and make new connections to share knowledge with.”

He joined the programming committee in 2015, became co-chair of the committee in 2016 and a board member in 2017. “Over the past few years I have gotten to know a lot more members at a deeper level and have enjoyed identifying programming that can aid us all in personal, professional and organizational development. My expectations of the group and myself is learning, networking and succeeding.”

Vital role
“As a smaller manufacturer, I am especially aware that the very survival of other small medical device manufacturers is at risk, given the ever-increasing rate of consolidation of the largest manufacturers, distributors and providers,” says Brezack. “As this consolidation continues, and we all learn to deal with the unknown future of the Affordable Care Act, I feel that the role of HMMC as a voice for manufacturers, as a source of education and information for our membership, and even as a lobbying arm for our members’ interests, is vital and essential.”

HMMC will hold its Fall Executive Conference Nov. 28-30 at the Margaritaville Holiday Beach Resort, Hollywood, Florida. More information at www.hmmc.com

HMMC presidents

  • Jim Baum, W. A. Baum Co., Inc.: 1987-1988
  • Lars Thurman, Thonet: 1988-1989.
  • Jack Addicks, Becton Dickinson, 1989-1990.
  • Bob Egan, Sherwood Medical: 1990-1991.
  • Vic Robertson, TimeMed Labeling Systems: 1991-1992
  • John J. Brasch: WanderGuard Inc.: 1992-1993.
  • Richard Johansen, Hudson Respiratory Care, Inc.: 1993-1994.
  • Brad Klitsch, Briggs Healthcare: 1994-1995.
  • Steve Meyer, Welch Allyn: 1995-1996.
  • Jim Huggins, M-Pact: 1996-1997.
  • Owen McBride, 3M Corp.: 1997-1998.
  • John Brezack, Dale Medical: 1998-1999.
  • Debra Klug, GE: 1999-2000
  • Don Denne, Alba Health Products: 2000-2001.
  • John Moran, Welch Allyn: 2001-2002.
  • Charlie Higgins, Teleflex Medical: 2002-2003.
  • John Paterson, Personna Medical: 2003-2004.
  • Grover Kilpatrick, Puritan Products: 2004-2006.
  • Cathy Anders, Caltech Industries Inc.: 2006-2008.
  • Rob Saron, Bovie Medical: 2008-2010.
  • Jon Wells, Midmark: 2010-2012.
  • Richard Schmidt: Evonik: 2012-2014.
  • Gerry LoDuca, DUKAL: 2014-2016.
  • Don Nymberg, B. Braun Medical: 2016-present.
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