Stepping Out Of The Shadows Cornell Surgical Moves Into The Limelight

By kevin czerwinSki

The Cornell Surgical Company had been hiding in plain sight for three-quarters of a century, quietly serving as a critical link in the medical equipment and supply chain not only to North Jersey but to all the Tri-state area. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world in the late winter/early spring of 2020, however, that the Bergenfield-based outfit burst from the shadows to become one of the most important businesses in the region.

The pandemic introduced panic and fear on a new level for so many, particularly in its early days. Cornell Surgical Owners Howard Shiffman and his son, Adam, however, viewed the pandemic through a different prism. They had made customer care and service a trademark of their business for nearly 80 years but admittedly, operated in a bit of a vacuum – unless you needed them, you didn’t know about them.

The desire to help their community, though, greatly outweighed any concerns that accompanied the pandemic, pushing the family-owned business to help whenever it could. So, whether it was a hospital, a municipality, a doctor’s office or simply an elderly person in need of assistance, Cornell Surgical demonstrated the kind of resolve and dedication that had become associated with the word “heroes” during the height of the pandemic.

other forms of personal protection equipment (PPE) immediately without the wait or price gouging that accompanied purchasing such supplies from other major distributors. The Shiffmans and their dozen or so employees kept their business open and running throughout the pandemic, remaining an integral part of a first-response team that is only now getting the recognition that it deserves.

“The business is so internet centric now that you have no choice but to stay relevant and keep up with the billion-dollar companies,” Cornell President Adam Shiffman, 52, said. “One of our biggest things and one of the things we pride ourselves on most is that we care about the community and the people who work for us. We have about 12 people here and we were all sick at some point. But we all helped each other out and made sure the community and the doctors got what they needed.”

“We are a family here and everyone knew that we had a purpose. We helped doctors, hospitals, whoever needed it. We took pride in that when it was hard for people to get out and get what they needed.

Take something as simple as masks. For years it was a nothing product. Then, suddenly, what was a nothing product became the most coveted thing in the world. We set aside an allocation for first responders and made sure that police, fire and frontline workers all had what they needed to do their jobs.”

That approach was particularly evident with how Cornell Surgical interacted with the Paramus Police Department. Procuring PPE, even for the police, was not always easy but Paramus’ Deputy Police Chief Robert Guidetti praised Cornell for how quickly and efficiently they filled every request the department made.

Guidetti couldn’t simply fill out an online form and place an order from a distributor. Being a town employee meant having to request funds and go through a whole set of steps to pay for the purchase. It is a process that, at times, can be lengthy yet Cornell helped him cut through all the red tape.

“I couldn’t just go online and order something with my credit card,” said Guidetti, 57, who has been with the Paramus Police Department for 35 years. “Cornell took the process order and said pay when we get the money and it worked out perfect for us. The health and safety of our police officers and civilian employees is a top priority. If we can’t get mask or test kits, how can we help anyone else.

“But this was a local Bergen County business and there were no issues. Everything was perfect. Prior to COVID, I had never heard of Cornell. There was no reason for me to use them. I spoke with the owner and he seemed like a super nice guy. I made my first order for masks and picked them up and everything worked out great. Then we needed COVID self-testing kits in November and they were one of the only companies with reasonable prices that had them in stock so it worked out well. It was a comfort knowing they were right there in case there was an issue.” One of the reasons that Cornell Surgical was prepared to help Guidetti and deal with the pandemic immediately can be traced back to a volcano eruption in the Philippines in January 2020. The natural disaster had many Filipinos in North Jersey scrambling, looking to get supplies that weren’t available to their families in the Philippines. One particular item was a quality mask.

“Every person who had family there kept coming in looking to buy N95 masks,” Shiffman said. “We had had them forever, so they were here. Then with the pandemic, there was a massive demand for masks and we realized we needed to do better, whether it was limiting purchases so people couldn’t horde them or making sure that everybody got some.

“It started out with helping the people who had families in the Philippines, but it became a bigger issue here and that’s when we made a conscious decision to make sure certain people got what they needed. During the course of the pandemic that philosophy really helped us. Doctors who bought from nationwide compaAdam and Howard Shiffman, Jodi Silver man nies and big billion-dollar companies were getting cut off. We would take someone we never heard of before. We told them we’ll take care of it but don’t forget us when the pandemic is over.”

Providing comfort and being available to its customers and its community has been a Cornell Surgical hallmark since the company’s inception. John J. Shiffman began the business out of Union City in

1945 and moved to West New York in 1948. Howard Shiffman, who became the company president and CEO in the early 1960s following the death of his father, moved his operation to Bergenfield in 1995 following a 1993 fire that had destroyed much of his West New York showroom.

While Howard Shiffman worked with his father, he wasn’t necessarily anticipating taking over the family business when he headed off to Long Island University in Brooklyn. He was studying to be a pharmacist – he received his license but never practiced – and played baseball for a bit. Once he began running the business, though, working in a pharmacy and playing ball – he said he could never hit a curveball anyway – were no longer an option.

It wasn’t easy maintaining the business as a teenager, but Howard Shiffman survived and ultimately thrived though it took some time. He is retired now but still pops into the office several days a week to lend a hand, offer advice and interact with customers.

“My father died when I was 19,” he said. “My mother was there as the eyes and ears of the company and it was a good, quality company. I commuted to school, but I was around every day. Municipalities, nursing homes, the public in general came to our aide and I just gave back to the people who helped and passed it forward.”

That approach of passing it forward is one that Cornell Surgical continues to employ and not just a large scale. The individual means as much as the municipality, the hospital or institution. Consider Diane Occidentale, a Bergenfield resident with Multiple Sclerosis. The 58-year-old has relied on Cornell to aid in her care, thanks in large part to Jodi Silverman, who is Adam Shiffman’s sister.

“When I first went there, I was very hesitant,” Occidentale said. “I didn’t know what to get but I wanted it to be pretty. Why do these things [walker, rollators etc.] have to look like they should be in a hospital or so sterile? I got a walker and she took a sad situation and made me feel much more comfortable about it. She was very sensitive about it. “She made me feel better about myself and made me realize that I was making my life better and easier. She surprised me when I picked up the walker. She had this pink, paisley fabric covering on it. She made me feel good about it. I had a need and anything she could find to improve my life she did. Insurance wouldn’t pay for my catheter and Jodi researched what she could do to help with that. She worked with me. It’s endless what she can give you.”

While individual stories like Occidentale’s are plentiful so are some of the bigger ones such as the Paramus Police Department and the Seton Hall University Physician’s Assistant Program, which Cornell has been working with for the better part of a decade.

Michelle McWeeney has been an assistant professor in SHU’s physician assistant program since 2012. She has worked closely with Adam Shiffman over that time to keep the program, which has roughly 180 students, supplied. Shiffman makes sure deliveries go directly to the school, where he proceeds to instruct students in the care and usage of the instruments.

“He makes it so easy,” McWeeney said. “The ease of ordering with them is down to science. And, if there are any issues, he comes back and fixes it or replaces the whatever needs to be replaced. We teach students how to draw blood and give injections and we need supplies, and he gets them on short notice.

“They get it and drive it over to us for the day that we are doing that specific activity. He is so easy to work with and so knowledgeable. We are really in a routine every year, so I don’t have to think twice about it. And their equipment is top notch. You get stuff online that is terrible, but this stuff is real quality and has a lifetime guarantee. It couldn’t be any easier with them; they make my life very simple.”

While Cornell Surgical has only recently stepped out of the shadows, it has been making the lives of many people in North Jersey simple for three quarters of a century.

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