George Salem, ProxsysRx
Fixing a $4.3 trillion catastrophe. One problem at a time. Imagine creating a business that generates so much positive buzz you’re forced to sell it. That, for all practical purposes, was George Salem’s dilemma in 2009. He’d founded Respond Medical Staffing — which provided nurses for hospitals — in 2004, and in the company’s fifth […]
Shegun Otulana, Therapy Brands
Hello, Customers. I’m Listening. (NOTE: This post was published in 2019, when Therapy Brands was a finalist for the Birmingham Venture Club’s Jemison Award). It’s January 2013 and Shegun Otulana is running a software development firm with one programmer: Himself. Five years later, he’s running a company — TheraNest — with 300 employees, of whom […]
Mazi Rasulnia, Pack Health
“It’s time to start feeling better.” (NOTE: This post was originally published in 2017) In the United States today, some 150 million patients live with a chronic illness — which, by definition, is one lasting 3 months or more. That’s less than half our population, but the cost of treating them is nearly 85% of […]
Craig Parker, Guideway Care
“Every adventure has its own cycle.” (NOTE: This post was originally published in 2017) Cincinnati native Craig Parker and his wife Andrea moved to Birmingham in 1999 to be near her family. Neither felt comfortable raising their children in London — where he was working for a New York law firm. He almost moved here […]
David Wu, Motus Nova
Go with the flow. Or make your own flow. Entering his final semester as an Emory undergrad, David Wu’s future as a doctor was all-but a given. He had the grades, he’d scored well on his MCATs, and was in the Essay phase of applying to med schools when he met Andy Butler. And everything […]
Tom McDougal, AlternaVisit
Routine healthcare that’s anything but routine Tom McDougal is wearing a long sleeve Nike t-shirt, Mountain Khaki pants, Dockers shoes and Nike socks. Not just the day he and I met for lunch. Right now. Assuming “right now,” as you’re reading this article, is a weekday. Weekends, Tom dresses down a bit. Call him predictable. He’ll […]
Joe Wortmann, QuiNovas
A Take-The-Hill Guy. Assuming You Need The Hill. It’s about 9:30 in the morning local time on a Monday in March, 2006. After 20+ hours in the air, Joe Wortmann lands at the Hamburg Airport — where he takes a cab straight to the I.T. offices for Awarix’s first European customer, and starts work on a […]
Tanveer Patel, ConcertCare
Glass Ceiling? What Glass Ceiling? At the age of 19, Tanveer Patel met her husband, Maqbool, 10 days before their wedding. Two weeks later, the native of Bangalore (a coastal city in the tropical region of India) found herself in Philadelphia — where, according to Weather Underground’s archives, the temperature was 34°, and it was […]