Tag: Black Bear Medical
An Active Life that appeals to everyone
September 26, 2014Leah Hoenen
PORTLAND, Maine - Provider Jim Greatorex wanted to bust the stigma that you have to be ill to buy something from an HME store. The owner of Black Bear Medical has just completed a major rebranding of the store's retail division, naming it This Active Life, giving it a new look and adding an e-commerce website offering goods to active people of all ages.“We aren't just looking at the senior market—we wanted a brand to appeal to everybody,” he said. “We hired a branding...
Manufacturers 'buy-in' to retail
October 11, 2013Liz Beaulieu, Editor
ORLANDO, Fla. - More than 20 manufacturers submitted products for the inaugural Innovative HME Retail Product Awards at Medtrade, a sign that providers aren't the only ones who see promise in retail, organizers say.“We're seeing a lot of buy-in from providers, but also from manufacturers,” said Rob Baumhover, director of retail programs for The VGM Group and lead architect of the show's Retail Design Center. “There's been more activity. Providers are looking for new products to...
Sportswear market 'to go through the roof'
August 23, 2013Elizabeth Deprey
PORTLAND, Maine - Compression stockings might be familiar to HME providers, but compression sportswear is a whole other ballgame, says Jim Greatorex. “We need to market to the younger, more athletic person,” said Greatorex, present of Portland, Maine-based Black Bear Medical. “It's a fun new challenge, and the market is about to go through the roof.”Greatorex says serious athletes saw compression sportswear in heavy use during the summer 2012 Olympics, and now want to...
Providers welcome retail-only products
October 24, 2012Liz Beaulieu, Editor
What do HME providers have to say about manufacturers coming out with non-coded, retail-only power mobility devices (PMDs)? Bring. Them. On.“I think it's much more attractive than it's ever been,” said Jim Greatorex, president of Black Bear Medical in Portland, Maine.PMDs have been hard hit by changes to documentation requirements and reimbursement in the past few years. The most recent: Medicare now requires a prior authorization process in certain states.Providers say the changes not...