MaxMed shifts gears, expands

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After one year of trying to fill the void that was created when it sold off its oxygen business, MaxMed Rehab and Medical Supply, believing it now has the right business mix, recently moved into a new, 10,000-square foot facility here. While originally a full-service supplier, the five-year-old, $1.8-milllion company has decided to specialize in rehab equipment and augment that with standard DME such as commodes and retail products such as compression hosiery, according to Jack Rocks, president. "Where most people are afraid to get into rehab because it's so highly specialized, we made ourselves experts in the field," he said. "The DME and retail products, they get customers through the door." The new facility gives MaxMed 2,700 square feet of showroom space, up from the 900 square feet it had in the previous location. That means the company now has more space for demonstrations, as well as more space to stock additional DME and retail products. "We're positioning ourselves for an up to 10% increase in sales for next year," said Rocks, who was a certified public accountant before entering the DME industry. Located in an area where it includes National Seating and Mobility as one of its competitors, MaxMed has been able to separate its rehab business from the pack with a unique understanding of the challenges faced by people with disabilities, Rocks said. Both he and his business partner, John Friend, are paraplegics and prolonged equipment users. "If you take care of your customers like you'd take care of yourself, you don't have to worry about the competition," Rocks said. "There's plenty of business for everyone." MaxMed does about 60% of its business in rehab equipment and 10% in rehab repairs, Rock said. Medicare comprises about 55% of the company's business, and Medicaid comprises another 15%. HME