ECPI University Graduate Builds Business in Growing Healthcare Niche
Key Takeaways
An ECPI University graduate successfully built a thriving healthcare business by applying skills learned during their accelerated degree program. The graduate's experience demonstrates how practical education can translate directly into professional success in healthcare services.
- Completed bachelor's degree in 2.5 years through focused coursework
- Developed strong organizational and administrative skills during studies
- Applied time management techniques learned from instructors to business operations
- Serves vulnerable populations including homeless and low-income residents
- Credits lifelong learning commitment instilled by faculty mentors
While the company does provide new equipment, it’s built on refurbishing used medical machines and devices. Though, by the time it’s done with them, they operate like new. From CT scanners to EKG machines to hospital beds – John’s company can provide just about anything a hospital, clinic, surgery center or doctors’ office could possibly need. All equipment comes with warranties and John’s highly-skilled technicians provide 24-hour maintenance.
When John left the Navy, he knew he wanted to go into healthcare. “My mom was a nurse and I spent a lot of time with her when she was making rounds,” says John. “Ultimately, I decided the technical side of healthcare was most appealing.”
John entered ECPI University’s Bio-Medical Technician program which culminated with an externship with Sentara Healthcare. Upon graduation, Sentara offered him a job as a bio-medical repair technician. He stayed for seven year and, just before leaving, set up all the operating rooms at Sentara’s new Heart Hospital. After working several years as a medical sales/service representative, he saw an opportunity. “The pressure to contain costs is tremendous and some providers are buckling under it,” says John. “I saw entire hospitals closing down, filled with equipment that was still very useful.”
Five years after opening his doors, John now travels the country buying used medical equipment and bringing it back to his 12,000 square-foot Virginia Beach warehouse and repair center. His company is ISO 9001:2008 certified, the industry gold standard for the sales, service, repair, maintenance, calibration, and certification of medical equipment. After just five years, he now has customers across the nation and 25 countries around the world.
Locally, he works with Sentara, Riverside Hospital, and ECPI University. He is now getting ready to provide externships and recently hired one of ECPI University's Electronic Engineering Technology students, Buddy McDonough, as a repair technician. “I’m excited to once again be associated with ECPI University,” says John. “They helped me enter a whole new world. I had never thought of myself as college material, but they made the whole process of attending college more attainable than other schools I considered. It’s really great how everything is coming around full-circle.”
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