Halfway Home
June marks the midpoint of the year. It’s time to pause, take a deep breath, and ask ourselves two critical questions:
- Where are we compared to plan?
- What’s it going to take to finish strong?
For those of us in medical distribution, 2025 has already delivered its share of change. Whether you serve hospitals, physician offices, long-term care, labs, or ambulatory surgery centers, the conversations we’re having today with our customers are more complex, more strategic, and more urgent than ever. Labor shortages, new care delivery models, margin pressure, and ever-tightening budgets all weigh heavily on the providers we serve. Not to mention all the changes we are seeing in distribution itself.
In May, many of us came off the road after attending our national sales meetings – McKesson, IMCO, NDC, and others wrapped up meeting season. These gatherings remind us of the strength and reach of our industry. They also reveal the rapid pace of transformation: new leadership, new strategies, and in some cases, new go-to-market models, and NewCo’s. Change is here – and it’s not slowing down.
But in the face of all that, our mission hasn’t changed. Every day, we show up for our customers. We listen. We educate. We solve problems. We get product where it needs to be. And we do it while chasing our number, managing territories, building trust, and pushing ourselves to hit the next milestone.
So what do the next six months hold? That depends on how focused we stay. It’s easy to get distracted by everything that’s evolving around us. But the reps who will finish the year on top are the ones who stay close to their customers, take care of the basics, and execute consistently. It’s not flashy – but it works.
As we look ahead, let’s not lose sight of what we’ve already accomplished – and let’s remember to celebrate the people who continue to shape this industry for the better.
This spring, we had the honor of inducting three outstanding professionals into the Medical Distribution Hall of Fame: Brad Thompson of NDC, Jonathan Overbey of Sekisui Diagnostics, and Lisa Wikstrom of Abbott. Their careers are a testament to what’s possible when service, leadership, and relationships are placed at the center of the work.
Thank you to all our Hall of Fame sponsors this year, and thank you to every one of you in the field, in the warehouse, and in the office. Keep your eyes on your plan, your customers, and your goals. We’re halfway home – let’s finish the year strong.
Dedicated to the Industry,
R. Scott Adams
Publisher