Rockwell Medical Technologies, Inc.
Strong. Stable. Rob Chioini, facing an uphill battle and the appearance by some of being "too inexperienced" to manage, never mind start, his own medical supplies business, gazed over at his home bookshelf and thought about those two qualities.
It was a Norman Rockwell volume that first caught his eye - and his imagination.
Today, Rockwell Medical Technologies is more than hopeful thinking; it represents a success story that has surprised competitors and delighted customers.
Quite a feat, considering Chioini's degree from Michigan State University was in advertising.
Still, family core values of hard work, trust and loyalty (qualities he now recognizes and rewards among Rockwell employees) have helped.
So did the fact that many of his early customers were clearly unhappy with their current suppliers of dialysis concentrates and supplies.
With two core principles - producing a better product and winning in customer service and delivery - Chioini turned the "cost" of delivery into a revenue stream with his own trucking company. He also added manufacturing facilities to further reduce the cost of delivery.
Chioini successfully innovated with a dry acid product, one that would take up less space in a customer's clinic and thus increase patient throughput.
Chioini's Rockwell Medical Technologies now has a right-sized mixer that is easier to install and operate.
Although he's now taken the company public, Chioini still remembers the challenges of running a business, notably finding good people and raising capital.
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