Gary Cooper, MHA is the founder and Executive Chairman of Palmetto Infusion, an ambulatory infusion center, home infusion service, and specialty pharmacy that provides comprehensive ambulatory and home-based infusion services to both acute and chronically ill patients. Gary is also the President and CEO of The Carolus Company, which promotes EOS, strategic services, board oversight, and Mergers & Acquisition management to help leadership teams and business owners maximize their management and equity expectations.
Gary Cooper was surrounded by the American Dream since he was born. His parents were living in a small town where everyone ended up working on a farm. Their entrepreneurial journey had been a constant inspiration and it contributed to shaping Gary’s mindset, which became clear on a night he will always remember.
Gary Cooper’s Dream: Keeping People Out of Nursing Homes
Gary’s father had asked him how he would have changed the world. Not an easy question for sure. Gary didn’t know what to answer at first, but during a night drive, he found the answer within himself. His dream was to keep people out of nursing homes. His father had always worked in the nursing homes industry, but he believed in Gary’s vision and decided to start a home healthcare company.
From that moment, at the age of 24 in 1996, Gary Cooper started to build Palmetto Infusion. The entrepreneurial journey taught him great lessons about business, but also about life. Working closely with his dad, Gary learned the values of keeping your word, servant leadership, putting employees and customers first, people before profits, and simply “doing the right thing“. And also thanks to all these lessons, Gary Cooper created, developed, and successfully exited seven companies to Private Equity or Publicly Traded companies over the next 24 years.
And now here’s Gary Cooper.
Show Notes
[2:50] How’d it happen for Gary Cooper?
[17:20] The time it took Gary to realize his purpose and how he figured it out
[21:10] Has Gary ever thought of working for his dad?
[24:18] Running into and not running-away-from mindset
[31:54] Site-of-care shifts
[35:27] Moving past losing a business partner
[48:01] The problem with constantly comparing yourself to others
[51:55] Transformation intervention
[57:20] Describing Gary’s leadership, from selfish to selfless
[1:01:24] Feelings aren’t facts
[1:02:49] Mike’s takeaway
[1:08:54] Outro
Full transcript below
Video on Overcoming a Comparison Problem
Palmetto Infusion’s Story
Visit PalmettoInfusion.com to Learn More About Gary’s Company
Visit CarolusCompany.com, Gary’s Latest Company
Like Palmetto Infusion on Facebook
Follow Palmetto Infusion on LinkedIn
Connect with Gary Cooper, MHA on LinkedIn
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Podcast with Gary Cooper, MHA. Overcoming a Comparison Problem.
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Mike Malatesta: Hey everybody welcome back to the how to happen podcast I am fulfilling my obligation to you, which is to bring you amazing success stories today with my guests Gary Cooper. Gary, welcome to the show.
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Gary Cooper: Thank you.
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Mike Malatesta: So let me tell you a little bit about Gary before we get started Gary Cooper is the founder and executive Chairman of palmetto infusion an ambulatory infusion Center.
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Mike Malatesta: home infusion service and specialty pharmacy that administers life saving curative and quality of life, enhancing specialty IV and oral medications.
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Mike Malatesta: will probably have to break that down a little bit for everybody, as we get into this Gary Gary is also the President and CEO of the karelis company.
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Mike Malatesta: karelis helps organizations and leadership teams get the most out of their businesses by promoting eos which many of you will know, as traction.
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Mike Malatesta: Strategic services board oversight and m&a management.
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Mike Malatesta: And i’ve been looking forward to talking to Gary for over a year here because he’s had an just amazing business success in addition to the work he’s now doing, which we described above.
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Mike Malatesta: Gary has created developed and successfully exited seven companies to private equity or publicly traded companies in.
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Mike Malatesta: Gary and his business partner David goodell were named entrepreneurs, of the year by Ernst and Young, which is an amazing recognition, I will add.
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Mike Malatesta: Gary believes in the old fashioned values of keeping your word servant leadership putting employees and customers first and simply doing the right thing.
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Mike Malatesta: You can learn more about Kerry and his work at palmetto infusion calm.
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Mike Malatesta: On linkedin at Gary Cooper on instagram instagram at palmetto infusion and the carolinas company is that karelis dark, what is the website for that Gary.
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Gary Cooper: It should be karelis company.com.
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Mike Malatesta: got it okay all right, and with all that Gary I start every show, with the same simple question how did happen for you.
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Gary Cooper: Well, first of all thank you for having me on your show i’ve been excited about coming on the show um how did it happen for me, it really is a question from my father, who was also an entrepreneur.
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Gary Cooper: And as question to me, was what are you going to do to get out of graduate school.
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Gary Cooper: And I thought he meant a job and I answered him he had just sold his company to a publicly traded company and he was the first guy off the farm.
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Gary Cooper: Is a self made from the boots up guy and he said no son that’s not what i’m asking you what do you want to do, meaning, how do you want to change the world.
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Gary Cooper: And I was like holy crap dad I don’t know I don’t know what how do I was thinking about a job and I was driving back on to Grad school at night.
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Gary Cooper: And we still had bag phones then and a plug my bag phone into the cigarette lighter and I put the the antenna on the top of the car and I called him.
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Gary Cooper: And I said I know what I want to do, he was in the nursing home industry and hospitals and I called him and I said I know what I want to do, and he said what’s that and I said I want to keep people out of nursing homes.
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Gary Cooper: And I thought there was a silence.
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Gary Cooper: And I thought he would be upset with me because he had spent his entire career in nursing homes and he said son why don’t we start a home healthcare company.
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Gary Cooper: And that is how it happened, it was that simple.
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Gary Cooper: And I asked him I said, is it that easy he said it’s not that easy because that’s what you want to do let’s do it.
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Gary Cooper: And literally I did my whole thesis and graduate school on the new reimbursement change is going to home health care.
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Gary Cooper: He got a certificate of the for home, health care, while I was in graduate school for the two small rural counties that i’m from, and when I get out of school I came home to be a home healthcare administrator.
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Gary Cooper: And that was in May of it was may 27 1996.
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Gary Cooper: And it was still an outdated reimbursement system, and we did that, for two years and I got into medical equipment I got into private duty nursing, this is before it was cool and.
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Gary Cooper: We did that, until 98 when when I did my thesis on came into reality.
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Gary Cooper: And that was called perspective payment system, which is when the clintons were an office they radically changed the reimbursement system for home health care medicare certified home care.
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Gary Cooper: And that put 50% of the home care companies out of business in the country also 50% of the nursing homes in the country out of business.
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Gary Cooper: And so, most people would say you know run out of that business.
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Gary Cooper: And that’s when my dad and I decided to run further into it.
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Gary Cooper: And so, he gave me a line of credit or a million bucks and i’m 26 years old i’ve never done mergers and acquisitions and never done anything like that.
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Gary Cooper: And I could only use the line of credit to acquire companies, I couldn’t use it to fund payroll operations or any pain and so here’s this young kid running around and a buick regal and running around South Carolina and I go around and acquire home care companies and I both own.
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Gary Cooper: medical equipment, companies and this small infusing company which later became palmetto infusion.
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Gary Cooper: And so fast forward from 98 until 2001 we went from two little rural counties in South Carolina georgetown and where’s where county, which is where I live, pawleys island.
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Gary Cooper: And we grew from about 2 million in revenue to 25 million in revenue.
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Gary Cooper: and
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Gary Cooper: And then the founder of.
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Gary Cooper: Our company and my boss mentor best friend and father died.
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Gary Cooper: And a month later 911 happened.
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Gary Cooper: And about a month later, all my lungs were called doing full.
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Gary Cooper: And it was and had about 1000 employees.
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Gary Cooper: And it was a really, really dark time.
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Gary Cooper: And many times i’ve told people that that was, in many cases, a lot easier time to go to work because I had no other choice.
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Gary Cooper: I didn’t have options, I had to pull myself up pull my team up and go to work and fight off the wolves.
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Gary Cooper: and fortunately i’m in this is a God moment if I look back on it, I can see that it wasn’t me that did it.
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Gary Cooper: The day before my father got introduced me to a man named RON well to literally 12 hours before you die.
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Gary Cooper: And then, then later became a human resource director.
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Gary Cooper: And he brought with them.
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Gary Cooper: Our entire leadership team many voices still here today.
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Gary Cooper: That was a God moment.
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Gary Cooper: He paid put in a team that is still with me today and I never would have made it without those people.
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Gary Cooper: So 21 years later, or 20 years later they’re still with me.
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Gary Cooper: so fast forward again 2001.
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Gary Cooper: My job King became instead of building companies up my father’s goal and myself, was to build up that time you could go public with 50 or 100 million dollars in revenue.
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Gary Cooper: Things definitely changed my job became to take care of my largest shareholder which also I jokingly say cups my thanksgiving Turkey my mother.
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Gary Cooper: Her goals were different her goals were help me.
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Gary Cooper: liquidate these assets at the appropriate time, not immediately, but, at the appropriate time.
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Gary Cooper: And I often say.
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Gary Cooper: That the worst things that happened to us in life can become the best things that happened to us then life, it depends on how we look out.
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Gary Cooper: And so that’s what we did we we chose to look at this as an opportunity and I got all of my partners, these were not sole proprietorship these were partnerships.
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Gary Cooper: My dad was born on a sharecropping farm and that’s what we call it, we call it sharecropping so as partners and medical equipment orders in infusion I was the partner for home, health care and we continue to grow those companies.
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Gary Cooper: I also ended up starting a hospice division.
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Gary Cooper: In addition to the companies, because the goal was how do we make patients.
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Gary Cooper: give patients the options to be at home versus institutionalized care, whether it be in the nursing home or Assisted Living or hospitals.
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Mike Malatesta: Right right.
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Gary Cooper: And we got really good at.
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Gary Cooper: Over time, the publicly traded guys my friends bill born at a Meta system right when we accept either continue to grow.
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Gary Cooper: And they came knocking on our doors.
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Gary Cooper: And we ended up divesting our home care business to a madrasas apnea bar medical equipment business, we continue to grow our hospice company, we continue to grow pyramidal infusion.
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Gary Cooper: and eventually sold pamphlet on fusion to.
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Gary Cooper: Brian cressey out of Chicago.
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Gary Cooper: and
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Gary Cooper: Eventually, sold our our hospice company also to a medicine.
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Gary Cooper: started or nurse known pharmacy company back, which was my dad’s original company okay and i’m partnered with a company called guardian and my brother in law still guardians partner today, and they are the third largest institutional pharmacy in America, maybe second i’m not positive.
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Gary Cooper: And I was looking at myself again where my dad was asking me.
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Gary Cooper: What I was going to do.
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Gary Cooper: In 2011 I was successful, but I was also at a crossroads what am I going to do.
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Gary Cooper: Because I missed.
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Gary Cooper: providing care for patients who who needed an option, because i’d sold all the companies that my dad not started and partners.
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Gary Cooper: I never want to miss that.
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Gary Cooper: part because my partners who are also my dear friends.
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Gary Cooper: are also looking for what their next next gig was going to be.
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Gary Cooper: And Lo and behold cressey out of Chicago who I admire greatly they really were looking for the home infusion piece only.
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Gary Cooper: And didn’t really have an avenue to to ramp up that ambulatory infusion piece, and let me describe that.
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Mike Malatesta: yeah that’s.
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Gary Cooper: That really ambulatory infusion.
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Gary Cooper: To make it simple it really looks like a doctor’s office.
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Gary Cooper: It really looks like a chemotherapy office, except nobody there has cancer, they have diseases like Ms arthritis asthma conditions.
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Gary Cooper: Other long term diseases, where they get these drugs which are fairly new they’re less than 20 years old.
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Gary Cooper: And they get these drugs called monoclonal antibodies and some of them are monoclonal antibodies but that’s how it began, and they come in every two to six weeks, they sit in a recliner and they get these drugs that radically improve their lives.
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Gary Cooper: Before if you had Ms they were oral medications and they maybe improve your life somewhat.
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Gary Cooper: We have some patients that have come in and wheelchairs.
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Gary Cooper: That are that were unemployable.
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Gary Cooper: couldn’t get to work that nail don’t come in wheelchairs anymore these drugs or amazing when they’re also very, very expensive.
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Gary Cooper: and stick into my original mission.
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Gary Cooper: These drugs, you could only get in a hospital.
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Gary Cooper: So we created a place i’m using chick fil a is is a good example in some ways, but it’s a bad example in another chick fil a is one of my favorite companies in the world.
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Okay.
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Gary Cooper: We we kind of chose that model because they’re super friendly they’re super clean.
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Mike Malatesta: yeah like.
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Gary Cooper: super polite.
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Gary Cooper: yeah and they’re super convenient hospitals.
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Gary Cooper: Unfortunately can’t meet a lot of those criteria, because her big places with big parking lots so we chose to make them all the things that chick fil a can be.
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Gary Cooper: When no big the parking garages so patients with Ms can just travel up to our place and walk in.
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Gary Cooper: And we also chose to make them.
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Gary Cooper: In multiple locations and smaller towns, so you don’t have to drive to charleston or Columbia South Carolina we can add them in small towns like myrtle beach or aiken.
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Gary Cooper: or supply North Carolina outside of wilmington so we put them in bedroom communities.
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Gary Cooper: And so we bought back palmetto infusion from cressey and company in 2011.
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Gary Cooper: And it was about a $30 million business when we bought it back.
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Gary Cooper: With 20 employees.
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Gary Cooper: And today, you know 10 years later, we have 425 employees.
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Gary Cooper: We are a lot of $100 million company.
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Gary Cooper: We were in one state, one bottom bag with 10 locations.
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Gary Cooper: We have over 30 locations now and four states.
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Gary Cooper: And we really.
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Gary Cooper: I am very confident and saying this and we’re only just beginning.
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Mike Malatesta: Okay, so let me go, let me, let me dissect some of what you will you laid down for us there, I went I think I want to start Gary with this question that your dad asked you when you were in graduate school and you went through it kind of.
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Mike Malatesta: You know, took us down the path, but i’m wondering how long did it take you between the time he asked you the question and the time you were able to answer it, what was the time.
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Mike Malatesta: sort of frame like there and what did you do to figure it out how did you come up with this, you know I want to keep people out of nursing home thought or purpose.
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Gary Cooper: You know i’ve told this story so many times.
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Gary Cooper: In my career, I know the answer I was a child in a nursing home, and I saw this little lady back in the 70s and 80s, they would literally top patients town.
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Gary Cooper: They didn’t have drugs like xanax and stuff like that to control patients, and so I was about nine or 10 years old and saw this little African American lady strip our clothes off and deprecate in the floor and fall down.
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Gary Cooper: And I told my dad on the way home that day that there has to be a better way.
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Gary Cooper: So you asked me when he asked me that question, we were at our farm where he was raised, and we were working that day I left the farm, I was driving back to Grad school that night.
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Gary Cooper: and on the way home that night Connie.
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Gary Cooper: Oh same day.
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Gary Cooper: The same day.
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Gary Cooper: yeah and I called him that night, and I said I know what I want to do.
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Gary Cooper: Because it was it was ingrained in me that’s how we were raised and that’s what we did, and.
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Gary Cooper: It was, it was a powerful question that demanded an answer.
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Gary Cooper: and
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Gary Cooper: I think I had always I went to school thinking, I wanted to be a doctor.
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Gary Cooper: And when I got to college.
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Gary Cooper: I took cellular biology and I kicked my ass.
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Gary Cooper: It just destroyed me.
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Gary Cooper: And I realized I realized man i’m not a doctor, and I think the only reason I wanted to be a doctor is probably to one of my dad he was a pharmacist.
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Gary Cooper: And I realized man my brain is not wired for science.
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Gary Cooper: But I won’t health care.
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Gary Cooper: And so, when I went to graduate school for health, administration, I realized me and I love this stuff.
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Gary Cooper: And when I was in Grad school.
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Gary Cooper: All the people they are hated doctors.
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Gary Cooper: hmm they they were X hospital administrators.
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Gary Cooper: And the hayden.
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Gary Cooper: hayden hayden docs and I called my dad that day and I realized it and I said man I can’t be hospital administrator these guys hate doctors and he said there’s always room for a good one buddy.
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Gary Cooper: And that’s what prompted them with the question is like if you’re not going to be asked for ministry, or what are you going to do.
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Gary Cooper: And he had been in post acute we call anything outside hospital post acute is like what are you going to do.
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Gary Cooper: I was like holy shit I don’t know what I want to do so, he said, well, you better figure that out.
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Gary Cooper: And that’s where the question really originated from and and then keeping people out of the hospital and out of out of the nursing homes was kind of the Epiphany.
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Mike Malatesta: And before he asked you that question, I know you said you weren’t really thinking about things in that way, but were you thinking that.
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Mike Malatesta: You would use your degree and go work for your dad before he sold his company or were you thinking i’m getting out on my own and i’m going to you know, become a you know run a hospital or run a hospital system or something what were you.
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Mike Malatesta: What was going through your mind after the doctor thing kind of fizzled out.
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Gary Cooper: You know I think I think I always had this.
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Gary Cooper: fear of being the kid that came back to work for my dad.
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Gary Cooper: You know I didn’t.
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Gary Cooper: I didn’t want to be that guy.
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Gary Cooper: um.
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Gary Cooper: You know I didn’t want to be given a handout it had just been ego driven.
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Gary Cooper: You know I wanted to be the self made guy yeah and I would say 90% of the reason I went to graduate school was to be able to defend myself from my friends say at least have a degree to work with my dad.
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Mike Malatesta: Okay, as opposed to just nepotism, or something.
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Gary Cooper: Longer right.
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Gary Cooper: yeah right.
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Gary Cooper: And, and so you know explaining what our egos would do to us and so mine was driving me away from.
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Gary Cooper: a wonderful opportunity to work with my dad and i’m so glad that that it didn’t drop me away from doing it.
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Gary Cooper: Because I gained so much wisdom from such a wise man who taught me wonderful lessons.
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Right.
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Gary Cooper: So I think you know first it was a darker thing than it was you know how can I do my own thing, even in graduate school.
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Gary Cooper: graduate Professor Susan boyd who was an amazing woman wouldn’t, allow me to do my internship for my dad.
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Gary Cooper: She made me go do an internship for someone else which was probably the biggest blessing for my father and myself.
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Gary Cooper: To allow me to see how someone else was doing home care and bring those assets back to to our family business.
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Mike Malatesta: Okay, and you met and how long did you do that for.
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Gary Cooper: It was a some only a semester.
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Gary Cooper: Okay, but they they were making dear friends, to this day.
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Mike Malatesta: You know it’s funny you mentioned that a lot, it seems like everybody that you need.
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Mike Malatesta: partner with, and you know you’ve mentioned just a lot of names, who have had an influence on you and who you remain friends were they give you a lot of credit for that, because I don’t think too many people.
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Mike Malatesta: You know, maintain relationships, for as long as you, you have apparently done.
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Mike Malatesta: And, and in a good way right everybody’s still happier but it’s still friends it’s so I applaud you for that.
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Mike Malatesta: When you were you mentioned the law change during the Clinton administration and how you know put 50% of nursing homes and 50% of home home care companies out of business.
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Mike Malatesta: Or maybe it didn’t, but they did and but you, you and your dad decided to rush, you know run into that, as opposed to run away from that what.
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Mike Malatesta: made you think that running into that was smarter than running away, I am not familiar with the change in the law itself then probably doesn’t matter but.
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Mike Malatesta: It sounds to me like it had an impact and negative impact on reimbursement or some other sort of compensation that made it more difficult to be in the business.
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Mike Malatesta: You can tell me if I have that right or wrong, but i’m curious about what made you what made you and you, and he think we’re going to run into this not run away.
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Mike Malatesta: there’s an opportunity here.
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Gary Cooper: You know I i’d have to give all the credit to to my father for that time.
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Gary Cooper: that’s where the wisdom came in.
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Gary Cooper: He recognized I did my graduate school work on that reimbursement system and also learn from the people I did my internship with.
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Gary Cooper: that there could be opportunity there.
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Gary Cooper: My father and my mother had worked so hard.
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Gary Cooper: and probably shouldn’t have made that bet.
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Gary Cooper: But my father was an entrepreneur from the word go yeah so.
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Gary Cooper: He actually caught it I love the way he talked he said son why don’t we go buy us some straw hats in the wintertime.
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Gary Cooper: And what he meant by that was these things are going to sell a really cheap but they’re going to come back.
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Gary Cooper: And so what someone in the stock market would say, as he was a contrary.
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Mike Malatesta: got it.
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Gary Cooper: And so, he recognized that it was a temporary decrease in value and the value will come back.
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Gary Cooper: The other way, he would describe things is he would say son, you have to realize which way that jump off and which way the chump corn.
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Gary Cooper: And so, another thing that he would say is that democrats promise, health care and Republicans fund.
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Gary Cooper: And, and he didn’t mean that really in a negative sense in terms of what we see on TV every day.
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Gary Cooper: Right so kind of using his crystal ball was if you can stomach it, and if you can fund payroll and if you can stay in the game long enough go by as much as you can and wait for it to turn around.
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Gary Cooper: I always like to think of you know, the movie braveheart.
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Gary Cooper: yeah you remember when William wallace was in front of the his troops and he was riding a horse and he was screaming hold hold that’s kind of what it was like.
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Gary Cooper: It was my.
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Gary Cooper: It was my dad’s money not mine.
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Gary Cooper: Right, so he had the courage.
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Gary Cooper: To do it.
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Gary Cooper: And so, when the prospective payment system turned around when things started turning around he was the right guy he made the right back.
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Gary Cooper: So that was my first experience in betting on health care reimbursement.
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Gary Cooper: Now i’ve had several more experiences as as an adult with my own money in that same scenario.
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Gary Cooper: palmetto infusion is the latest one.
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Gary Cooper: You know ambulatory and fusion.
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Gary Cooper: Fusion centers let’s just call those is easier to say.
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Gary Cooper: and fusion centers for patient with rheumatoid arthritis.
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Gary Cooper: In good the infusion just just think about this for a second to get infusion and in a doctor’s office or an infusion Center like ours there’s there’s more than just us is 50% cheaper than the hospital.
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Gary Cooper: So, to get an infusion with us is 50,000 a year to give the exact same medicine.
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Gary Cooper: And a hospital is $100,000 a year.
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Gary Cooper: Plus is more convenient.
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Gary Cooper: and closer to your home and all that is.
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Gary Cooper: saves $100,000 a year.
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Gary Cooper: So we saw we saw that 20 years before it became cool.
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Gary Cooper: So we started doing 20 years before it became cool.
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Gary Cooper: Five years ago there weren’t many people in this business now a lot of people are jumping in.
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Gary Cooper: And so, when we bought the business back 10 years ago everybody thought we were foolish.
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Gary Cooper: Now, five years ago, everybody started asking us hey what’s this infusion thing you’re doing.
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Gary Cooper: Now we want an entrepreneur of the year award because people are like maybe they’re really smart we weren’t really smart, we were just doing the right thing, we were doing infusions where they were 50% cheaper.
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Gary Cooper: So we’ve always followed what a patient needs and where it was cheaper.
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Gary Cooper: And the hope, hopefully, that works out for us.
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Mike Malatesta: And the economics of.
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Mike Malatesta: The hospital being say twice as much for this infusion is that it’s not because the medicine you pay the same for the medicine i’m assuming it’s it’s all of the other stuff that goes into.
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Mike Malatesta: hospital infrastructure versus what you can provide you know, in your centers that you know strip some of that away as the bureaucracy, or is there a whole level of costs and procedures that just make the hospital.
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Mike Malatesta: So much more expensive.
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Gary Cooper: yeah i’m never one to be screws up because Look, we need them they’re necessary.
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Gary Cooper: right but look they lose money in the emergency rooms, they lose money in the icu they’re very expensive places to run.
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Gary Cooper: So I created a my partners and I created a very inexpensive place to run.
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Gary Cooper: And this is all we do we’re not doctors.
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Gary Cooper: The doctors at to see patients, they have to do all this other stuff so hospital is a very expensive buildings and overhead so we said, how can we create a less expensive model and be really good at it.
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Mike Malatesta: Right.
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Gary Cooper: You know they use a terrible example because we’re dealing with human bodies, think about jiffy lube they’re really good at changing oil.
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Gary Cooper: And they’re cheaper than taking your car to the whole dealership.
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Mike Malatesta: yeah okay that makes sense i’m just that the.
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Mike Malatesta: Okay let’s talk about that the actual.
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Mike Malatesta: First of all those drugs are extremely expensive, even if you’re half the price it’s still tremendous we’re we’re we’re the health insurers driving this change as well, where you know.
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Mike Malatesta: I don’t know if more people need this, you know there’s population ages, you know more cases of Ms more women to rheumatoid arthritis that kind of thing but we’re the.
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Mike Malatesta: Was there sort of this push to to go to this, you know to what you’re doing in your in your fusion centers because of cost and cost reduction, you know front and reimbursement from.
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Mike Malatesta: The health insurers Gary i’m not.
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Gary Cooper: There that’s a great question um there is and it’s actually called sight of care shift, so the payers are recognizing wow this drug costs is is really eating our lunch, we see it every day on the front page of the newspaper right.
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Gary Cooper: And so, in every time that gets out there they’re like, how do we battle this so one of the things that that the payers are doing united healthcare blue cross Blue Shield sake, not at not all of them are doing is how do we get the patients out of the hospitals.
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Gary Cooper: And so, one of the things they’re doing.
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Mike Malatesta: While while still getting them what they need, I just wanted to make sure.
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Mike Malatesta: Absolutely okay.
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Gary Cooper: Absolutely, how do we get the same drug as safe as possible, if not better, more convenient all of all of the qualifications and.
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Gary Cooper: really what they’re saying is how do we get them into places like pamela fusion and there’s other places like us, we have a lot of friends that do the same thing we do throughout the country.
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Gary Cooper: And so what they’re doing is they’re coming to people like us saying how can we get patients to you so they’re sending pace they’re sending letters to you saying hey Mike we know you get your infusion at xyz hospital last year, you can go there anymore, you have to find another provider.
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Gary Cooper: Here is a list of providers in your neighborhood.
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Gary Cooper: That you can go to.
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Mike Malatesta: got it okay.
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Gary Cooper: And you’re like holy crap i’ve been going to xyz hospital for the last five years, I like nurse susie I don’t want to go somewhere else.
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Gary Cooper: And they’re like yeah what it costs $100,000 you hear my you gotta go somewhere else, and then you go to a Center like ours and you’re like hey, this is actually pretty cool.
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Mike Malatesta: yeah they kind of didn’t know what they were missing kind of thing.
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Mike Malatesta: And I brought my moms like that my mom’s in her late 70s she’s very used to the doctors and the places, you know where she’s been going and changes.
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Mike Malatesta: Maybe that i’m like that i’m in my 50s you know you kind of you do get comfortable with the people you’re working with the place you’re going.
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Mike Malatesta: But you also don’t know what else is out there anymore when you’ve been doing that for a while right it’s just a nurse, it can be a very powerful Blocker to.
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Mike Malatesta: Maybe a.
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Gary Cooper: hindrance until it hits your pocketbook a lot of self a lot of self insured companies are much more aggressive.
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Mike Malatesta: yeah push you yeah they encourage you, and incentivize you to save money yep yep to do the do the right thing, find the best value.
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Mike Malatesta: So you I guess some I know after your dad passed away, you had your mom talks about your mom.
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Mike Malatesta: You know your biggest shareholder was making thanksgiving dinner, I think, is what you said, so you definitely had her.
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Mike Malatesta: You know, and her needs and her desires and stuff to focus on but i’m.
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Mike Malatesta: wondering.
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Mike Malatesta: As closest the relationship, you described to have with your dad Gary how long did it take you.
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Mike Malatesta: To get.
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Mike Malatesta: You know I don’t want to say over because you probably never over it, but I just you know my my business partner passed away.
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Mike Malatesta: About 10 years into our business and I he wasn’t my father, but he was a father figure to me, and he was exceptionally important to me and my stability and how I thought about things, and when he was gone.
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Mike Malatesta: You know I really fell into a hole I fell into a hole that.
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Mike Malatesta: Where I felt stuck for a long time, because I didn’t.
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Mike Malatesta: I you know I did I didn’t i’m not sure if I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t feel like doing what needed to be done anymore, because I was just so heartbroken.
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Mike Malatesta: And so what how did that impact you how long did it take you to figure your way past that incredible relationship.
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Gary Cooper: Oh man he really touched on a big subject I am.
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Gary Cooper: I think I had delayed grief.
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Gary Cooper: Over 12 years.
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Gary Cooper: You know I am.
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Gary Cooper: I think I took.
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Gary Cooper: The reins of responsibility on my shoulders.
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Gary Cooper: as a way of running from grief.
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Gary Cooper: And I think I took that role.
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Gary Cooper: And maybe.
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Gary Cooper: ego pride.
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Gary Cooper: and doing the right thing.
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Gary Cooper: And all of those things and ran from it.
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Gary Cooper: Until we sold the last company.
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Gary Cooper: And then.
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Gary Cooper: I.
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Gary Cooper: had too much time on my hands.
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Gary Cooper: Okay, and then it hit me.
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Gary Cooper: And you know they say that that I don’t have this hands do the devil’s work.
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Gary Cooper: Yes, I think busy hands can also.
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Gary Cooper: Because I kill myself so busy.
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Gary Cooper: You know, have four beautiful children beautiful wife had a really big career.
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Gary Cooper: A lot of partnerships.
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Gary Cooper: And if I wasn’t busy I would find ways to stay busy I ran 40 miles a week.
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Gary Cooper: And then I got to a place where.
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Gary Cooper: I had to have my dad at seven back surgeries before he died.
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Gary Cooper: And my brothers had six or seven and always said i’m stayed in shape and I won’t have that problem, and I did, and I remained self sufficient.
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Gary Cooper: And, and that worked for me which self sufficiency sounds like a good attribute right.
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Mike Malatesta: It does.
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Gary Cooper: Well towering strings can be towering weaknesses.
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Gary Cooper: And what I mean by that is, I never asked anyone for help.
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Gary Cooper: And so, then all the sudden I couldn’t run anymore, because I have back issues.
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Gary Cooper: And then I had a back surgery.
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Gary Cooper: And then they told me, I had to have both of my hips replaced.
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Gary Cooper: And one of the hip replacements didn’t go well.
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Gary Cooper: and had to have one of the hip replacements replaced.
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Gary Cooper: And I got and bad depression.
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Gary Cooper: And I think all that ties back to.
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Gary Cooper: to lay grief.
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Gary Cooper: And it was a really dark couple years for me might.
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Gary Cooper: As it was it was I put my partners through a lot of trouble my marriage my children.
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Gary Cooper: What i’ve come to believe is that self sufficiency did war.
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Gary Cooper: It was only the.
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Gary Cooper: asking for help.
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Gary Cooper: And going through the pain.
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Gary Cooper: and recognizing that.
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Gary Cooper: recognizing that some of the worst things that can happen to us can turn out to be the greatest things that happened to us if we put on a different set of glasses.
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Gary Cooper: You know now when I see tough things common you know at that point in time, things have gotten so dark I could say why me.
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Gary Cooper: And now, when things get tough, I can say okay God, what are you trying to teach me.
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Gary Cooper: You know yeah.
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Gary Cooper: And I work with gratitude all the time, saying Okay, and I get it down to basics have a roof over my head today my body is okay today.
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Gary Cooper: i’ve had a meal today, and I know i’m going to have another one.
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Gary Cooper: And so, when I was when I was so busy I call it chastened I was chasing the next next success.
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Gary Cooper: yeah what’s the next big thing if I just accomplished this i’ll be happy and then never truly brought happiness, I think our running from.
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Gary Cooper: grief or chasing the next success or what the world says success and it wasn’t until I realized, you know, the only success comes from within.
335
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Gary Cooper: And my partner David good on I really are spiritual were Christian and we’re not over about that in our business but we’re definitely are open about it.
336
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Gary Cooper: And it wasn’t until we started being humbly quiet and started serving other people and realize that that our egos have no room for this.
337
00:41:51.750 –> 00:41:54.630
Gary Cooper: And we started chasing the way to serve other people.
338
00:41:55.890 –> 00:41:59.580
Gary Cooper: it’s almost paradox is not almost It is a paradox.
339
00:42:00.660 –> 00:42:03.960
Gary Cooper: When I quit running from problems.
340
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Gary Cooper: And started chasing away to serve other people, that is, when my life transform.
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Gary Cooper: But I agree.
342
00:42:14.100 –> 00:42:17.280
Gary Cooper: You can’t run from it, at least, I could not run from it.
343
00:42:17.850 –> 00:42:18.090
Gary Cooper: It will.
344
00:42:18.360 –> 00:42:19.410
Mike Malatesta: always have you try.
345
00:42:20.340 –> 00:42:24.270
Gary Cooper: It was like a painter and I couldn’t get rid of until I addressed it.
346
00:42:25.860 –> 00:42:31.890
Mike Malatesta: And that’s really interesting, but you you, you know the running thing you had to literal running thing and then.
347
00:42:33.210 –> 00:42:36.900
Mike Malatesta: Your body broke you couldn’t run anymore.
348
00:42:38.040 –> 00:42:38.580
Mike Malatesta: and
349
00:42:41.880 –> 00:42:58.440
Mike Malatesta: You know it’s it’s it’s as i’m listening to you i’m connecting that mentally with the physical right your chick and then the emotion to it, so I keep busy keep running that’s how I get away and that’s how I forget that’s how all these things happen and then.
350
00:43:00.330 –> 00:43:01.560
Mike Malatesta: And then, when I break.
351
00:43:02.670 –> 00:43:18.420
Mike Malatesta: In your case physically and maybe emotionally to you said some dark places, you have to you have to acknowledging and and look whatever it is right in the eye right, and you have to say okay like you said self.
352
00:43:20.730 –> 00:43:26.280
Mike Malatesta: self sufficiency, was it wasn’t getting it done right and in in.
353
00:43:27.810 –> 00:43:38.070
Mike Malatesta: was clear that things that things had to change, I know, when I was going through what I described to you, I was sort of I was in such a place where I thought to myself.
354
00:43:39.120 –> 00:43:57.990
Mike Malatesta: You know I want to quit I don’t want to do this, you know why me and I felt so entitled to feeling better about myself than I was feeling at the time Gary and you know it’s such a it’s such a weird unproductive way to think like what am I today i’m not entitled Danny but, just like.
355
00:43:59.220 –> 00:44:11.670
Mike Malatesta: there’s another day here’s what i’m entitled to another day, maybe, and what am I going to make of that day and it took me, you know feel I feel terrible even talking about it because it took me a while to get off that entitlement.
356
00:44:13.200 –> 00:44:15.240
Mike Malatesta: train or that mentality, but.
357
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Gary Cooper: I feel like it should be there.
358
00:44:19.410 –> 00:44:21.720
Gary Cooper: I don’t think he should be at all I think you’re human.
359
00:44:22.380 –> 00:44:28.080
Gary Cooper: You know we’re we’re we’re human and and you know forgiveness, I believe, is what.
360
00:44:29.550 –> 00:44:45.270
Gary Cooper: Is what saved my life, and you know it’s it’s an amazing thing to realize, you know we’re roughly the same age and I don’t know how you were taught, but I was told things get tough don’t grab boy.
361
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Mike Malatesta: yeah.
362
00:44:46.290 –> 00:44:49.890
Gary Cooper: You know work harder pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.
363
00:44:49.950 –> 00:44:50.670
Mike Malatesta: Right right.
364
00:44:50.700 –> 00:44:52.680
Mike Malatesta: I can do this I don’t need help, I get.
365
00:44:52.800 –> 00:44:54.180
Mike Malatesta: yeah right help is we.
366
00:44:54.210 –> 00:44:55.740
Gary Cooper: enter that’s suck it up.
367
00:44:55.830 –> 00:44:57.150
Mike Malatesta: set it up suck it up.
368
00:44:57.240 –> 00:45:02.850
Gary Cooper: And, and all those things had to be relearned at age 45 for me.
369
00:45:03.930 –> 00:45:10.080
Gary Cooper: And what I realized, is the most beautiful thing in the world is vulnerability is actually a strength.
370
00:45:11.760 –> 00:45:16.980
Gary Cooper: You know, when I can go to you Mike and say hey my you know my life sucks right now.
371
00:45:18.360 –> 00:45:20.970
Gary Cooper: You know, could you help me with this.
372
00:45:21.300 –> 00:45:21.630
yeah.
373
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Gary Cooper: People run to hell, if I go to you and say oh everything’s fine.
374
00:45:30.540 –> 00:45:46.770
Gary Cooper: And you’re like I don’t know what’s going on Gary and then you go back in his life, he just didn’t write, something we can’t really trust him right now, but if I go to you and as lay it at your fee and say my my world is shit right now.
375
00:45:47.070 –> 00:45:54.480
Gary Cooper: yeah and here’s what’s going on and i’m just portable and open and honest, we you go fight for me.
376
00:45:55.830 –> 00:45:58.230
Gary Cooper: And that’s what Dave and i’ve tried to do.
377
00:46:00.450 –> 00:46:10.500
Gary Cooper: With our company in my family and and just be open and honest and say look i’m struggling and I don’t know why.
378
00:46:11.640 –> 00:46:25.320
Gary Cooper: And that vulnerability and openness as as really just it’s that paradox again it’s I thought that if I told somebody I felt weak, they would see me as weak.
379
00:46:25.740 –> 00:46:26.070
Mike Malatesta: Right.
380
00:46:26.100 –> 00:46:27.810
Gary Cooper: But they actually see me a strong.
381
00:46:29.820 –> 00:46:30.180
Mike Malatesta: Right.
382
00:46:31.980 –> 00:46:37.950
Mike Malatesta: know I read somewhere that you said I read somewhere, he said something like as part of this transformation, it was.
383
00:46:39.300 –> 00:46:42.270
Mike Malatesta: You know when you’re comparing yourself to others.
384
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Mike Malatesta: Or to what you thought others were thinking or doing or whatever the ideal that you’re.
385
00:46:50.310 –> 00:47:01.470
Mike Malatesta: You know, moving toward to try to improve or whatever always seems to be moving away from you a little bit further it’s like the closer, I get the further it’s seems to be moving away from me and.
386
00:47:01.920 –> 00:47:12.030
Mike Malatesta: When you when you change it, and you just start thinking about what what’s going to make me feel better right what made what is success or purpose or whatever, for me it becomes.
387
00:47:12.690 –> 00:47:21.600
Mike Malatesta: A lot more manageable right because you just can’t you just cannot ever win that other game it’s it’s an you can’t win that game can only win.
388
00:47:21.810 –> 00:47:27.960
Mike Malatesta: can only win the game of where where you can be you know where you want to measure yourself against yourself.
389
00:47:28.590 –> 00:47:32.100
Gary Cooper: This dear friend, that he just hit the nail on the head is dear friend of mine.
390
00:47:33.390 –> 00:47:40.980
Gary Cooper: He captured me one day, and he said, you have a comparison problem and it started with my dad.
391
00:47:41.520 –> 00:47:42.510
Gary Cooper: No question.
392
00:47:43.440 –> 00:47:53.250
Gary Cooper: And then, it turned into a friend, and I hope he hears this his name is Tony strange and Tony is one of the co founders of Jim tivo.
393
00:47:54.150 –> 00:48:10.890
Gary Cooper: And I love Tony to death and and as partner rod dwindling they are my mentors I love them and star with my dad and when he passed away, I guess, I had to pick somebody else to do you know shoot for.
394
00:48:11.910 –> 00:48:12.480
Gary Cooper: and
395
00:48:14.250 –> 00:48:29.850
Gary Cooper: implicate Tony they became a publicly traded company and flying around on corporate jets and all that stuff, and here I am i’m from a town of 1200 people you know this tiny little podunk town and went to work for my family business and.
396
00:48:31.050 –> 00:48:33.660
Gary Cooper: relative success is amazing.
397
00:48:35.310 –> 00:48:45.240
Gary Cooper: I sold a company one day for $20 million, and you would think holy crap that’s amazing it was one of the saddest days of my life.
398
00:48:46.950 –> 00:48:49.350
Gary Cooper: Because I was comparing myself to someone else.
399
00:48:50.610 –> 00:48:52.170
Gary Cooper: So this dear friend of mine.
400
00:48:53.520 –> 00:49:04.080
Gary Cooper: named mark mark tassie he said, you know what your problem is Cooper and I was like what’s that he said you got to compare some problem.
401
00:49:05.190 –> 00:49:10.470
Gary Cooper: He said, let me ask you a question, are you better today than you were yesterday.
402
00:49:12.090 –> 00:49:13.380
Gary Cooper: And I said I think so.
403
00:49:14.640 –> 00:49:19.620
Gary Cooper: He said, if you compare yourself to others, the rest of your life you’re going to die a miserable man.
404
00:49:20.760 –> 00:49:31.650
Gary Cooper: He said what if you get better today than you were yesterday, the rest of your life you’re going to surprise the world on what you can accomplish.
405
00:49:33.540 –> 00:49:34.440
Gary Cooper: That changed my life.
406
00:49:36.510 –> 00:49:39.900
Gary Cooper: It changed my life, because now, I have an easy goal.
407
00:49:41.310 –> 00:49:44.820
Gary Cooper: The Gary of today if he’s is better than Gary of yesterday.
408
00:49:46.380 –> 00:49:49.410
Gary Cooper: that’s easy I don’t have to watch anybody oh.
409
00:49:51.240 –> 00:49:53.970
Gary Cooper: That is just revolutionary to me.
410
00:49:54.510 –> 00:49:56.970
Gary Cooper: Because I don’t have to worry about anybody else in the world.
411
00:49:57.960 –> 00:50:11.250
Mike Malatesta: I love what Tony told you about the comparison problem you, I think it was yeah you have a comparison problem that that’s that’s really strong because so many like the world has a comparison right.
412
00:50:11.340 –> 00:50:11.790
Mike Malatesta: We do.
413
00:50:12.750 –> 00:50:13.440
Mike Malatesta: Like and.
414
00:50:14.220 –> 00:50:25.410
Gary Cooper: commercials make fortunes commercials and Facebook and social media make fortunes preying on our insecurities.
415
00:50:25.470 –> 00:50:32.880
Gary Cooper: yeah if you just buy this if you just buy this car if you just take your kids on his vacation you will be a good dad.
416
00:50:34.170 –> 00:50:39.270
Mike Malatesta: yeah The message is always you deserve dot dot dot whatever it is that they’re selling.
417
00:50:41.340 –> 00:50:44.640
Mike Malatesta: And that whole deserving gets back to like the entitlement thing I was.
418
00:50:44.700 –> 00:50:46.350
Mike Malatesta: Dealing with wise.
419
00:50:48.300 –> 00:51:04.110
Mike Malatesta: So carrie with the with the time we have left, I want to get into the how you changed as a leader and a business owner and entrepreneur after you had this you and your friends i’ll call it a I call it a mix of a revelation intervention.
420
00:51:06.000 –> 00:51:06.750
Mike Malatesta: And and.
421
00:51:08.820 –> 00:51:14.790
Mike Malatesta: And you know you you change your it sounds like you’re you change your approach change in your.
422
00:51:14.880 –> 00:51:19.620
Mike Malatesta: Yes, leadership change and i’m really interested in in how that occurred.
423
00:51:21.660 –> 00:51:24.210
Gary Cooper: Well you’re right, it was a mix of.
424
00:51:25.290 –> 00:51:27.000
Gary Cooper: transformation intervention.
425
00:51:29.310 –> 00:51:47.100
Gary Cooper: We we basically when I say we David good or myself went to our company intentionally and said, you know what, in the past we have run unintentionally as a selfish company.
426
00:51:48.420 –> 00:51:56.280
Gary Cooper: And we want to convert this to a self less company we didn’t know that servant leadership was a popular buzzword at the top.
427
00:51:57.660 –> 00:52:00.780
Gary Cooper: And there were some things I had to make amends for.
428
00:52:02.160 –> 00:52:12.000
Gary Cooper: Where I had started doing a service and didn’t tell anybody, for example, I would just do things and try to cram it down people’s throats.
429
00:52:13.560 –> 00:52:16.320
Gary Cooper: Because I could, because I was the owner.
430
00:52:16.830 –> 00:52:18.420
Gary Cooper: yeah and.
431
00:52:20.250 –> 00:52:22.020
Gary Cooper: I put David as the CEO.
432
00:52:23.310 –> 00:52:24.300
Gary Cooper: Because he’s better at it.
433
00:52:26.010 –> 00:52:31.350
Gary Cooper: he’s just flat out a better operator i’m a great entrepreneur and i’m not a great operator.
434
00:52:32.730 –> 00:52:35.070
Gary Cooper: and David made some significant.
435
00:52:36.300 –> 00:52:41.070
Gary Cooper: managerial and structural organizational chart changes.
436
00:52:42.390 –> 00:52:46.560
Gary Cooper: That signifies to people it doesn’t matter who you are here.
437
00:52:47.880 –> 00:52:50.430
Gary Cooper: That matters that you put the company first.
438
00:52:52.530 –> 00:52:57.060
Gary Cooper: And that’s it signals to the employees that.
439
00:52:58.410 –> 00:53:13.230
Gary Cooper: title and anything else doesn’t matter What matters here is that the company and the employees and your contributions matter, not if you’re Gary.
440
00:53:14.610 –> 00:53:21.480
Gary Cooper: And then, our example was the biggest part you know i’d lead by example I said look i’ve screwed up.
441
00:53:22.950 –> 00:53:25.110
Gary Cooper: And step down.
442
00:53:26.250 –> 00:53:28.980
Gary Cooper: And that was a pretty big moment.
443
00:53:29.400 –> 00:53:38.850
Gary Cooper: yeah and then David started leading by example and it’s now we realized was called servant leadership.
444
00:53:40.170 –> 00:53:40.710
Gary Cooper: and
445
00:53:42.390 –> 00:53:44.400
Gary Cooper: We started doing things like that.
446
00:53:46.140 –> 00:53:55.620
Gary Cooper: And i’ll give you an example of what happened during the race stuff the George floyd stomp last year.
447
00:53:57.180 –> 00:54:00.540
Gary Cooper: During the George floyd thing happened when that happened.
448
00:54:02.610 –> 00:54:06.600
Gary Cooper: Both David and I both call what are our VP.
449
00:54:07.650 –> 00:54:11.400
Gary Cooper: of sales and marketing who happens to be African American.
450
00:54:13.290 –> 00:54:17.400
Gary Cooper: And we both independently called him and said look.
451
00:54:18.870 –> 00:54:20.400
Gary Cooper: They don’t need to hear from.
452
00:54:21.450 –> 00:54:22.320
Gary Cooper: me or Gary.
453
00:54:23.610 –> 00:54:24.660
Gary Cooper: or Gary or David.
454
00:54:26.670 –> 00:54:29.370
Gary Cooper: you’re African American Would you mind.
455
00:54:30.450 –> 00:54:34.860
Gary Cooper: unfiltered and unscripted talking to the entire company.
456
00:54:36.420 –> 00:54:38.700
Gary Cooper: All 350 employees at the time.
457
00:54:40.530 –> 00:54:41.700
Gary Cooper: he’s like wait a minute what.
458
00:54:43.470 –> 00:54:44.010
Gary Cooper: we’re like.
459
00:54:45.060 –> 00:54:52.110
Gary Cooper: They don’t need to hear from us, we don’t have the point of view, needs to be told to the employees, either.
460
00:54:53.700 –> 00:54:57.120
Gary Cooper: And he said I think we’re all here to be healed.
461
00:54:58.800 –> 00:55:01.350
Gary Cooper: And we said we think you were brought here to heal people.
462
00:55:02.970 –> 00:55:05.220
Gary Cooper: So what do I say, and we said that’s up to.
463
00:55:06.390 –> 00:55:11.700
Gary Cooper: you decide no script no filters know anything you don’t have to approve anything.
464
00:55:13.080 –> 00:55:14.490
Gary Cooper: from us, or to us.
465
00:55:15.720 –> 00:55:17.340
Gary Cooper: And he held a town hall me.
466
00:55:19.290 –> 00:55:28.530
Gary Cooper: And so we have just literally unleashed people’s filters and they get to do where they see fit.
467
00:55:29.820 –> 00:55:48.120
Gary Cooper: And I believe that’s why we won the award anybody can win an award based on numbers or growth patterns, or even or anything like that, but that’s the kind of culture that we’re trying to create where the folks are running the business, not us.
468
00:55:49.170 –> 00:55:54.840
Gary Cooper: we’re filtering the decisions, down to the appropriate people and getting out of their way.
469
00:55:56.070 –> 00:56:03.450
Gary Cooper: The only thing they even ideas right with the race tough his kid out of the way, let the appropriate people take care of it.
470
00:56:09.780 –> 00:56:13.110
Mike Malatesta: So let me that was powerful and let me go back to.
471
00:56:15.750 –> 00:56:19.860
Mike Malatesta: What you when you said you want it, you made the shift from selfish to selfless.
472
00:56:21.360 –> 00:56:26.400
Mike Malatesta: And I have some strong thoughts about this so that’s why i’m that’s why I wanted to dig in just a little bit as we.
473
00:56:27.210 –> 00:56:33.450
Mike Malatesta: As we finish up here and you mentioned the one sort of maybe selfish thing like you know you would cram something down.
474
00:56:33.960 –> 00:56:41.460
Mike Malatesta: That you wanted that you know wasn’t really part of the mission was in part I don’t know Maybe it was a pet project, who knows who knows, whatever it was.
475
00:56:42.060 –> 00:56:54.120
Mike Malatesta: And I guess, I want to get maybe that’s One example I don’t know, but how how if you had to describe the company and your you know your own leadership, how would you say.
476
00:56:55.170 –> 00:56:57.210
Mike Malatesta: It was selfish.
477
00:56:58.320 –> 00:57:00.990
Mike Malatesta: And how is it now selfless.
478
00:57:01.860 –> 00:57:07.830
Gary Cooper: i’m glad you dug into that it’s something that i’m mail this to cheer.
479
00:57:08.550 –> 00:57:10.770
Mike Malatesta: Okay i’m a member.
480
00:57:10.890 –> 00:57:13.380
Gary Cooper: Myself, I love this ditch.
481
00:57:13.560 –> 00:57:14.700
Gary Cooper: yeah um.
482
00:57:16.260 –> 00:57:23.310
Gary Cooper: What I was helping someone last month and it’s exactly what I was doing.
483
00:57:25.200 –> 00:57:36.690
Gary Cooper: I was spending more time wondering what the business to from me almost like JFK quote I was thinking about what can the business provide me.
484
00:57:38.730 –> 00:57:41.610
Gary Cooper: Rather than how can I serve the business.
485
00:57:41.880 –> 00:57:42.270
Mike Malatesta: Right.
486
00:57:43.170 –> 00:57:44.130
Gary Cooper: I was wondering.
487
00:57:45.720 –> 00:57:47.010
Gary Cooper: Whether it be ego.
488
00:57:48.030 –> 00:58:01.560
Gary Cooper: You know, whether it be title or whether Halloween made me look good or whether it be distributions or whether it be how soon can I sell it, you know what does this mean for care.
489
00:58:04.800 –> 00:58:06.900
Gary Cooper: If anybody got in my way.
490
00:58:08.490 –> 00:58:10.050
Gary Cooper: For had a different opinion.
491
00:58:11.130 –> 00:58:11.910
Gary Cooper: That was bad.
492
00:58:13.980 –> 00:58:14.730
Mike Malatesta: Okay yep.
493
00:58:14.850 –> 00:58:16.230
Gary Cooper: That wasn’t that wasn’t good.
494
00:58:16.530 –> 00:58:17.340
Mike Malatesta: But good them.
495
00:58:19.320 –> 00:58:23.370
Gary Cooper: know that was bad, so I was playing director.
496
00:58:25.110 –> 00:58:30.060
Gary Cooper: And as long as things when gary’s way things were good yeah.
497
00:58:30.120 –> 00:58:34.560
Gary Cooper: Okay now sometimes Gary would get mad.
498
00:58:35.970 –> 00:58:37.380
Gary Cooper: But most of the times.
499
00:58:38.610 –> 00:58:39.660
Gary Cooper: I would get nicer.
500
00:58:40.770 –> 00:58:42.720
Gary Cooper: When I was still would be a manipulative.
501
00:58:44.670 –> 00:58:45.480
Gary Cooper: To give my way.
502
00:58:47.130 –> 00:58:50.610
Gary Cooper: And they are in blind date could see it.
503
00:58:52.200 –> 00:59:00.030
Gary Cooper: let’s say, and it was a pet project you’re very intuitive so I wanted to start a specialty pharmacy division.
504
00:59:01.680 –> 00:59:03.720
Gary Cooper: Now i’m not a licensed pharmacist.
505
00:59:05.580 –> 00:59:08.610
Gary Cooper: So I was starting a specialty pharmacy division.
506
00:59:09.810 –> 00:59:13.260
Gary Cooper: and forcing it down people’s throats.
507
00:59:15.270 –> 00:59:20.250
Gary Cooper: And cramming this idea down and other people said this isn’t a good idea.
508
00:59:21.720 –> 00:59:23.310
Gary Cooper: And that’s what I will show you.
509
00:59:24.690 –> 00:59:28.980
Gary Cooper: And i’m i’m the marketing guy and I start marketing it.
510
00:59:30.660 –> 00:59:36.120
Gary Cooper: And they say well i’ll show you we won’t fill the orders and you’re going to look like an idiot.
511
00:59:37.890 –> 00:59:38.910
Gary Cooper: Well, who looks back.
512
00:59:40.020 –> 00:59:40.950
Gary Cooper: Come on he’s.
513
00:59:41.370 –> 00:59:41.640
Right.
514
00:59:42.990 –> 00:59:43.500
Gary Cooper: We all.
515
00:59:44.880 –> 00:59:49.080
Gary Cooper: Around the face now they’re selling something we’re not backing up.
516
00:59:50.940 –> 00:59:53.790
Gary Cooper: that’s what I had to go and say i’m an idiot.
517
00:59:55.320 –> 01:00:01.530
Gary Cooper: I own it i’m sorry I was selfish I was an asshole.
518
01:00:02.640 –> 01:00:04.020
Gary Cooper: And I am wrong.
519
01:00:05.100 –> 01:00:08.850
Gary Cooper: And and here’s what i’m putting in place to never do that again.
520
01:00:10.020 –> 01:00:16.170
Gary Cooper: I am removing myself from a managerial position, so you won’t ever have to deal with that again.
521
01:00:18.270 –> 01:00:19.440
Gary Cooper: And they really well.
522
01:00:21.930 –> 01:00:32.490
Gary Cooper: So not only you know saying you’re sorry is one thing, but putting measures in place that you don’t do it again, is another.
523
01:00:33.030 –> 01:00:35.190
Mike Malatesta: yeah and not just measures, I mean you took.
524
01:00:36.330 –> 01:00:47.100
Mike Malatesta: action that most entrepreneurs business owners would never ever ever take they just wouldn’t do it, even if they felt the same way, they just couldn’t see themselves to.
525
01:00:48.570 –> 01:00:50.340
Mike Malatesta: Take and do it.
526
01:00:51.420 –> 01:00:58.260
Gary Cooper: It was about putting the company and you know what i’ve learned is feelings are facts.
527
01:00:58.770 –> 01:00:59.700
Gary Cooper: Whether they matter.
528
01:01:00.510 –> 01:01:02.550
Mike Malatesta: But they really matter a lot yeah.
529
01:01:03.000 –> 01:01:16.860
Gary Cooper: And I stepped on a lot of people’s feelings and over the last almost five years we’ve repaired not only repaired that and heal those now then saying people they run the company.
530
01:01:18.270 –> 01:01:20.130
Gary Cooper: They truly run the company.
531
01:01:21.330 –> 01:01:41.400
Gary Cooper: And it is one of the most proud things i’ve ever been a part of is to see them them for their careers flourish them leading the charge it’s almost as if David and I now have to catch up to them.
532
01:01:43.080 –> 01:02:08.460
Gary Cooper: And we all see these quotes on linkedin you know you know dictators tell people what to do and leaders inspire all those things to see it in a quote or to witness it and action is it you know one’s neat one’s beautiful it’s beautiful to see people leading the way in front of you.
533
01:02:09.360 –> 01:02:13.860
Mike Malatesta: yeah and it’s it’s it’s also yeah.
534
01:02:16.110 –> 01:02:29.040
Mike Malatesta: it’s amazing listening to you and, and I think this is what i’m taking away from it is that if you create an organization, where people you make people wait to be told what to do.
535
01:02:30.240 –> 01:02:37.080
Mike Malatesta: or they can’t follow you because you’re always going in different directions and they don’t know where the right focuses.
536
01:02:39.090 –> 01:02:39.780
Mike Malatesta: You get.
537
01:02:41.220 –> 01:02:44.970
Mike Malatesta: You know stagnant growth, you get unhappy people you get.
538
01:02:47.100 –> 01:02:55.260
Mike Malatesta: You know people who don’t feel satisfied or excited about their work, but if, on the other hand, you’d say well here’s where we want the company to go.
539
01:02:55.800 –> 01:03:03.630
Mike Malatesta: I don’t know exactly how to do that, but you’re here, for that reason and we’re just going to open that open the doors to you to support you.
540
01:03:04.020 –> 01:03:19.500
Mike Malatesta: So that we can get where we need to be but we’re going to get there, the way that you and the rest of the team figure out is the best way for us the best way for you, the best way for our customers, the best way for our company is that anything close to being summing up with your.
541
01:03:21.000 –> 01:03:34.890
Gary Cooper: That is very, very close and and you know, David good all my partner and Connie Harley one of the original founders of the company myself.
542
01:03:35.730 –> 01:03:47.190
Gary Cooper: The leadership team that we brought in, we have watched a transformation happen, and it has been exactly what you described as going from.
543
01:03:47.940 –> 01:04:12.510
Gary Cooper: People waiting to take orders to literally us passing the baton and watching them run with it making decisions, the empowerment of those people now look I know it may not be as beautiful, as I think it is because i’m not in the trenches, but I think that.
544
01:04:15.180 –> 01:04:17.520
Gary Cooper: Is not utopia I guess.
545
01:04:17.610 –> 01:04:17.880
Mike Malatesta: yeah.
546
01:04:18.060 –> 01:04:18.690
Mike Malatesta: Sure, but.
547
01:04:18.720 –> 01:04:24.780
Gary Cooper: Never, but it is certain and, but it is certainly a long ways from where it was five years ago.
548
01:04:25.860 –> 01:04:30.120
Gary Cooper: And we’re striving to be that company that mean you’re describing.
549
01:04:30.420 –> 01:04:36.000
Gary Cooper: Right and that’s the difference, you know that’s a huge difference of you know.
550
01:04:39.600 –> 01:04:54.090
Gary Cooper: You know a lot of this stuff you know we can learn in books, you know we can learn in school, a lot of ours has been on the job training would have had to sum it up in one word, it would be humility.
551
01:04:55.920 –> 01:05:03.600
Gary Cooper: You know we’ve had to learn have humility to learn to not be the smartest person in the room.
552
01:05:05.130 –> 01:05:06.720
Gary Cooper: You know, to remain teachable.
553
01:05:07.590 –> 01:05:11.610
Gary Cooper: yeah, because if we think we’re the smartest person in the room and.
554
01:05:12.750 –> 01:05:14.550
Gary Cooper: You know, someone good.
555
01:05:14.820 –> 01:05:16.020
Gary Cooper: So those are redundant.
556
01:05:16.350 –> 01:05:17.370
Mike Malatesta: you’re in the wrong room.
557
01:05:17.970 –> 01:05:19.020
Mike Malatesta: Exactly yeah.
558
01:05:20.580 –> 01:05:29.460
Mike Malatesta: Well, you know that’s funny because that’s one of the things i’ve been thinking ever since we started here with humility humbleness I mean you’re you for someone who’s had the kind of.
559
01:05:31.140 –> 01:05:42.240
Mike Malatesta: You know, career and achievements that you’ve had and are still having been right from the very beginning, you could tell I could tell that you know you weren’t out here to you know.
560
01:05:43.620 –> 01:06:01.740
Mike Malatesta: promote Gary Cooper about how agree Gary Cooper is you know you you you’ve really you’ve really done exactly the opposite you sort of pointed out, you know one how you got your start how fortunate, you were to you know be raised by great parents and and and and then.
561
01:06:03.540 –> 01:06:04.770
Mike Malatesta: You know how how you.
562
01:06:05.970 –> 01:06:07.290
Mike Malatesta: dealt with you know.
563
01:06:08.940 –> 01:06:20.280
Mike Malatesta: running the company after your dad passed away and then how you came to these just amazing revelations about how little you knew about what you were doing and i’m sorry I don’t mean to say to know much but.
564
01:06:20.370 –> 01:06:21.780
Gary Cooper: that’s her.
565
01:06:22.380 –> 01:06:23.460
Gary Cooper: that’s her.
566
01:06:24.240 –> 01:06:41.640
Mike Malatesta: And how you know now even now you’re still learning how to be that that great leader who can not just inspire and empower but get out of the way and let people do what you want them to do what you need them to do what your business needs to do so many people.
567
01:06:42.690 –> 01:06:51.030
Mike Malatesta: Whether I have them on my podcast or you see them out there and they’re like you know it’s all about the personal brand and who they you know how much they’ve done and.
568
01:06:51.510 –> 01:07:01.710
Mike Malatesta: You know their their inspiration is kind of like in your face, you know it’s and your inspiration is not in your face, and I really like that, because I feel like.
569
01:07:02.310 –> 01:07:12.330
Mike Malatesta: The people like you, are the people who are really inspiring because you actually done you’ve done a lot of stuff and you are very willing to acknowledge that you have a long.
570
01:07:12.780 –> 01:07:21.750
Mike Malatesta: way to go, and none of what you’ve done is perfect, even though it’s been compared to most other people pretty damn pretty damn.
571
01:07:23.160 –> 01:07:27.840
Mike Malatesta: Exceptional so Gary Thank you so much for being on the show today it’s been a pleasure.
572
01:07:29.160 –> 01:07:37.260
Mike Malatesta: Talking through this with you and listening to you, more than anything else it’s I learned a lot and I really do i’m grateful that you’ve been on, and I am very, very.
573
01:07:37.980 –> 01:07:47.310
Mike Malatesta: happy about your success in your revelation intervention and all the things that we that we ended up talking about today, and most of all, that you know you you just.
574
01:07:47.670 –> 01:07:56.790
Mike Malatesta: how you feel about your family and your friends and your partners and all that it’s just it’s been very yeah it’s been inspiring for me to listen to thank you so much.
575
01:07:57.780 –> 01:08:16.740
Gary Cooper: Well, thank you and you obviously have a gift for what you’re doing and yeah and an intuition, about a year yeah right owner pinpoint on a topic so it’s been a lot of fun Thank you so much, and have a great rest your day man.
576
01:08:16.920 –> 01:08:18.330
Mike Malatesta: Okay, you to my pleasure.
577
01:08:18.390 –> 01:08:18.780
Okay.
