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BUSINESS me on a call during that week, and he liked the CT technology. Six months later, he was the first dedicated NIS Field Service Engineer. Within the next 12 months, we had added new service accounts and opened our first warehouse for inventory storage, parts testing and system testing,” Hull adds. He says that NIS was restructured from a LLC to a S Corporation and Brent and he became partners in 2008. “Today, we both enjoy the variety in our work. We have dedicated employees – field engineers, salesman and an office manager – and a shop with four CT bays, a paint booth and MRI trailer that we use for training and testing. We buy, refurbish, sell, install and maintain CT/MRI systems. We are thankful every day for the opportunity to do it again tomorrow,” Hull says. In 1997, Robert Probst founded Technical Prospects. “He wanted to fill an industry gap by offering Siemens-specialized equipment engineering and turn-key equipment sales,” says his son Jeremy Probst, who is now the president and CEO of the company.

“ My junior year, my dad told me that I could come work for him and learn the business and take it over from him when he retired, if I wanted to. He made it very clear that if I did not want to DO it, it would not upset him and he would support me in whatever career path I chose, but he wanted me to know it was an option.

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– SARAH LEE, CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER AT THE INTERMED GROUP.

TECHNATION

JULY 2018

“He then moved into the parts business shortly after noticing an opportunity to supply the industry with quality replacement parts. Having previously worked on Siemens CT equipment for more than 18 years,” he adds. When his dad made the move to venture into additional modalities beyond Siemens CT, he was going to need help. “I had recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in industrial technology management and, with that, offered a new perspective and understanding of the industry and technology,” Probst says. “I joined him, and with the help of my brothers, we grew the company.” What began as a one-man operation in a 10-foot by 10-foot bedroom has grown into a 72,000-square foot facility. “To keep that momentum, we invested in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to help streamline processes and better manage all aspects of the company, further helping us set Technical Prospects up for infinite growth in the years to come,” Probst adds.

“I believe that having our roots as a family business has created an extra emphasis on providing the best quality parts, services and training possible. Our team works to provide health care facilities with the same level of quality support that we would want to receive if our own family members were receiving care there,” he says. What is it like taking the reins of a business that a parent began? “There is a strong trust and mutual respect between the two of us. My father laid the foundation of Technical Prospects which has given myself and my team the opportunity to lead the company into the future,” Probst says. “In the same way I push my team to provide the best services and parts possible, he always pushes me to ask myself, ‘How can we continue to improve?’ He is just as excited for the future of the company as any of us, and to see how our business continues to grow and evolve to meet customers’ distinct needs,” he adds.

GETTING MANY FAMILY MEMBERS INVOLVED Carolina Medical Parts has also been a family-run business in the medical parts space since its inception. The company was founded by Rick Sagadin and his wife, Kay, in 2004. “Rick started his career in the medical field with GE in the mid-80s in their CSI research and development department in California,” says Kay Sagadin. “From there, he moved on to Diasonics (Toshiba) as a field service engineer. After a move to Pennsylvania and then North Carolina, he decided to start his own MRI service company, Technology Management Group (TMG) along with two partners,” she says.