We’ve all heard the story about the noble young man or woman who works his or her way up from the mailroom. Let me tell you the story about the man who worked his way down the ladder.

Back in 1989, when my business partner, Curtis Pickelle, and I launched Home Health Care Dealer/ Provider, we had to play all the instruments in the band. With a staff even smaller than the number of crossing guards willing to work the intersection down the street from Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss’ house, Curt and I had to wear the hats of publisher, editor, advertising sales director, circulation manager, creative director, and mailroom supervisor. We simply could not afford a large staff. Heck, we could barely afford to pay the printer.

We always said that someday we would love to turn the reins for each of the magazines over to a highly talented group of individuals—people who would share the same passion that we possessed for publishing and the industries we served.

Thirteen years have passed since we last found ourselves having to spread our job duties across the entire masthead. During that time, we grew the company to six magazines and a staff of more than 25 people, sold the company, and have since remained and grown with the acquiring company (yes, Virginia, some corporate acquisitions do indeed end up being a win-win for the buyer and the seller).

We also have taken part in a number of other acquisitions, and we currently find ourselves with 18 publications, employing more than 70 people, and offices on both the West and East Coasts. It’s a far cry from the 500 square feet of office space we occupied just over a decade ago.

As for our dream of finally getting to a place where we would employ others who shared a similar passion and commitment for publishing, it became a reality this year when we promoted Lena Lindahl to editor in chief and now Kim McGraw to publisher.

Kim joined our company in 1997 to sell advertising for our respiratory publications. She returned 4 years later to oversee the advertising sales side for Dealer/Provider. Since coming back on board in 2001, Kim has done an excellent job growing the publication in terms of advertising pages, revenue, and market share. In addition, she has teamed up with Lena to make Dealer/Provider the leading publication in the home health care industry in terms of editorial content and design. Kim deserves and has earned the title of publisher.

As for me, well, I’m still the president of the Allied Healthcare Group, and I rest easy at night knowing that Dealer/Provider is in good hands. A group of billionaire businessmen once said that the key to success in business is to surround yourself with people who are as hard working as you are but even smarter. By following their advice, I’m now able to spend more time in the mailroom.

Tony Ramos
tramos@medpubs.com