Many young workers go to work every day thinking that, if only they were the CEO, they could do a better job of running the company they work for.
At age 30, Scott Wakser left the large medical parts manufacturer he was working for and put those thoughts into action.
He started his own company, DiaMed Inc., with the idea that if he could provide better service, a more well-defined sense of value and a workplace that was actually fun for employees, he could beat the big boys — including his former employer — at their own game.
So far, he has succeeded. Wakser got the first confirmation of his success in 1999, when one of his largest competitors made an offer to buy DiaMed. He declined, and shortly thereafter was chosen by University Hospitals to be the health care system’s primary vendor for its alternate site facilities.
This year, the 7-year-old company is on pace to do close to $9 million in sales, and, with 42 employees, is about to move into a new 19,000-square-foot facility in Canton.
Wakser attributes his success to his ability to maintain a fun organization that has consistently provided value to its growing customer base.
“We take a mundane process — which is ordering medical supplies — and make it fun for the customer,” he says. “We build value from the service levels and the knowledge base and the experience that we offer in the industry that is different from any competitor.”
He says that medical supply customers — from individuals to large hospitals — are realizing the benefits of dealing with a local supplier. Since they can get the same products for about the same price from either a billion-dollar national company or a local supplier, more are choosing the independents — like DiaMed — for the personal attention they receive.
“We’re seeing a big surgence of the independents, rather that a billion-dollar organization,” Wakser says. “People now are making the great realization that the ability for an independent to service the local community far exceeds the ability of a national philosophy.” How to reach: DiaMed, (330) 966-7714
Connie Swenson
