Celebrating the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame Inductees
Entrepreneur – A person who organizes and operates a business, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
Scott Adams
The theme of this year’s Hall of Fame is just that. The three individuals being inducted this year are great entrepreneurs. They’re also visionaries, risk takers, problem solvers, and are a smaller and smaller breed of businesspeople in today’s world of mergers and acquisitions.
I won’t go into too much depth on each individual in this publisher’s letter given the wonderful work Mark Thill has done capturing their stories, but I will say a few words.
While I do not know Roger Benz personally, it’s easy to see that the man believed in hard work, expected to succeed, and always looked for something new to try. The short story in Mark’s article by Lisa Hohman seems to sum up who Roger was his entire career. One personal note, in my 25-year career I have never been successful selling Roger’s company anything. Hey Roger – how about a little bit for the effort on your way out? Congrats on your success and your induction to the Hall of Fame!
I have known Gerry LoDuca for more than 15 years, and as I read his story, there were no surprises at the reoccurring themes in how he approaches people and business. He stressed fairness in every business deal so that there was mutual success by both parties. That’s a concept our government should most certainly learn. On a personal note, Gerry is one of the kindest people in our industry, and if I had to compare him to another Hall of Famer it would be Rob Saron. Gerry, you truly deserve this award.
And finally, Billy Sparks. Relationships are the core of who Sparky is. In the 20 years I have known and done business with him, the relationship always came before the business. From a personal side, my life and career wouldn’t be the same had I not met him. Congratulations on this induction Billy.
I started this publisher’s letter on entrepreneurship, but I’d like to close with three life themes from this year’s inductees:
- Work hard, expect to win, and don’t be afraid to try – Roger Benz
- Treat everyone fairly and work toward mutual success – Gerry LoDuca
- Grow, own, and value relationships – Billy Sparks
I’d say those themes are what every great company in the world should be founded on. We hope to see you at the Hall of Fame this year.
Dedicated to the Industry
Scott Adams