Still Standing
If you’ve been in medical distribution sales for the last 25 years – or even just the last five – you know this job is not for the faint of heart. We’ve seen more than our fair share of storms, and yet here we are, still standing, still selling, still serving the caregivers who take care of this country.
Think back to the early 2000s. The dot-com scare that rattled our industry, making us all think the era of sales reps would be replaced by online ordering. Not long after that storm blew through, the economy took a nosedive in 2008. While the world was pulling back, we leaned in. Because the caregivers still needed supplies, and you were the ones they counted on.
Then came the Affordable Care Act. It reshaped how care was delivered and how supplies were purchased. We adapted. We worked smarter. We helped our customers navigate the unknown. You brought them value through educating them on all the change and how to maintain their practices and health systems.
And then – COVID.
In 2020, the entire world turned upside down. You weren’t just distribution reps anymore, you were lifelines. You hustled through PPE shortages, shipping delays, and an endless stream of uncertainty. And still, you and your organizations delivered. To this day one of the coolest things I’ve seen was the leaders of medical distributors pulling together as one and meeting with the President to ensure caregivers got what they needed.
Now, we face a new challenge: a tariff war that’s complicating the global supply chain and impacting our margins, our pricing, and our planning. But if the last 25 years have taught us anything, it’s that we are built for this. While you fight through this storm, remind yourself you’ve been through worse, and you always figure a way to win.
Every five to seven years, this industry gets tested. And every single time, we rise to the occasion. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s worth it. Because the people we serve – doctors, front-office staff, lab techs, supply chain professionals – depend on us to make their jobs easier. To make sure they never run out. To make sure they’re ready when a patient walks through the door.
Hope isn’t just a nice idea in our business, it’s a plan of action. It’s working harder, getting smarter, leaning on one another, and never losing sight of the mission: taking care of those who take care of us.
So, whatever comes next, or whatever the next five years throw at us, we’ll be ready. We’ve been tested. We’ve been stretched. And every time, we’ve come out stronger.
Here’s to driving forward with purpose, with excellence, and with a relentless commitment to serving the caregivers of America. Thank you for your work and your ability to fight through the tough times.
Dedicated to the Industry,