Scott Adams
Hall of Famers
Each year as we get ready to publish the annual Medical Distribution Hall of Fame issue, I look forward to reading the stories of some of the most talented and successful people in our industry. As you read about this year’s inductees, you’ll see patterns that have made these individuals successful in their careers and in life.
Henry Berling. While I never called on Henry, it’s easy to see why the manufacturers that did gravitated toward him and Owens during his tenure. Henry received more Hall of Fame nominations than anyone has to date. When I spoke to the people who nominated him, the same comment kept coming up. “Henry is the ultimate gentleman.” One of my favorite quotes in Henry’s article is: “I have learned one thing interacting with people,” he says. “Since I wasn’t such a good student in school, I found that if you listen to people and pay attention, they will teach you more than you could ever learn by asking questions. And the industry is full of people like that.”
Michael Racioppi has an amazing story, starting as a pharmacist to ultimately becoming the president of Henry Schein’s medical division, and today traveling the world for Schein as the chief merchandising officer. As you read through Mike’s story, you will see what a visionary he is, as well as a trend-setter. I’ve known Mike for 20-plus years, and one thing that has always stood out is the loyalty his team shows toward him. When Schein employees talk about Mike, you can sense how much they appreciate him and the value he’s brought to the company and our industry. Selfishly, my favorite quote by Mike is about one of our products: “We felt the more often the sales reps went online for EOL, the more likely they would be to help customers transition to placing their orders online. It was not an easy transition for some field reps. But most eventually got there.”
Gary Keeler. In my first meeting with Gary, he and Rick Frey (with the help of Cindy Juhas) lifted a smooth $100 off me in a game of liar’s poker at a HIDA event in Baltimore. Being a fresh-faced, 29-year-old national accounts rep, I was unaware that they were using signals to unburden me of my $100. I learned a valuable lesson that night — if you’re going to play with the big boys and girls, you best keep your head on a swivel. The one thing that has always stuck out to me about Gary is how much of a sales guy he is, and more importantly, how much he supports his sales team. Throughout his article you will see this trend. My favorite quote of Gary’s: “When you ride with reps every day, you see how we all look at our own businesses, how we look at what we do, how we rationalize why we do things.” The simple fact he still talks about riding with reps shows his commitment to them and why they have worked hard for him over his career.
I’d like to end this publisher’s letter by thanking Mark Thill for writing three great articles on the well deserved 2020 Hall of Fame inductees.
Dedicated to the Industry,
Scott Adams.