In the Loope: Graham-Field is ‘much stronger’ than it was 10 years ago 

ATLANTA – Peter Loope, the new president of GF Health Products, knows availability is the name of the game right now, so he’s made enhancing the company’s distribution network one of his top goals. 

“We run three of our own distribution facilities and we’re working to make those more efficient so we can get things out the door timelier,” he said. “Availability is a massive issue in our marketplace and since we self-manufacture the majority of the things we sell, that’s been less of an issue for us. But our lead times are one of our core selling principles, so we want to further advance that.” 

What else will be part of his focus? Here's what Loope, who has worked in the HME industry his whole professional career, including at Invacare, had to say. 

HME News: You’ve been at Graham-Field for about 10 years. How have you seen the company change for the better over the years? 

Peter Loope: Graham-Field has changed a lot. It used to be the company with the giant catalog where you could just call to get anything you needed. Also, a big chunk of the their products were imported. But the company decided 10 years ago that it wanted its core manufacturing to be primarily in the U.S., and it retooled completely. Now 80% of sales are of self-manufactured products made in the U.S. 

HME: You most recently served as senior vice president of sales. What’s something you accomplished in that role that has helped to advance the company? 

Loope: The biggest part of that job was taking six distinct sales teams – three internal and three external – and combining them into a corporate accounts team. It hasn’t been easy. There were overlapping territories and fixed behaviors. It has been a lot of education. Not necessarily sales training but market training, because you’re asking someone who has been selling in long-term care for 20 years to do acute care. That integration took nearly three years, with us getting caught up in COVID in the middle, but we went through it and now we’re much stronger. 

HME: In addition to enhancing the distribution network, what do you hope to accomplish as president? 

Loope: We’re building out a product road map for the next five to 10 years and that’s a kind of schedule that we haven’t had in a long time. And we’re always on the lookout for acquisitions. 

HME: What’s your most recent acquisition? 

Loope: We acquired Transfer Master in the past year. It’s the first time we’ve bought a direct-to-consumer company. We see them as being a key player in the DME space, offering everything from adjustable in-home beds to wheelchairs to walkers. We’re reimagining that product line as we speak. 

HME: Since DTC is a departure for Graham-Field, will you also consider selling those products through your distribution network? 

Loope: We’re treating that as a separate business right now until we figure out what to do with it. We just really liked the products and the people there, hence the acquisition. 

HME: Will you be looking to fill certain gaps in your portfolio with acquisitions? 

Loope: We’re primarily looking for products built in the U.S. If the last six months have taught us anything, it’s that there’s a real reliance on the supply chain. As some of our competitors have struggled with bringing stuff in on boats, we have, not doubled down but, tripled down on our initiatives to do this domestically.