By building on a forward-thinking attitude that focuses on the Gainesville area’s innovation culture and extensive talent pool, InterMed continues to advance in the biomedical field by both growing its own business and providing a blueprint of ideas to hopefully spur others to harness the educational and creative opportunities that the area has to offer.
Birth of the Jump Team
Nearly two years ago, InterMed President & CEO Rick Staab and his team recognized a growing need that was previously nonexistent in the biomedical industry. Today, their innovative endeavor thrives as the only one of its kind.
The name “Biomedical Jump Team,” might create a picture of a Navy Seal-esque elite unit sent off to exotic locales in times of crisis.
In reality, the Biomedical Jump Team is a high-tech service of highly skilled biomedical engineers and support staff who temporarily service companies large and small anywhere in the country.
Since its inception, the Jump Team has been well received. Its immediate success led to high demand throughout the industry, which generated a need for additional qualified employees, plus a solid core of rotating interns to contribute and possibly join InterMed full-time upon graduation.
However, rounding up qualified interns in the biomedical engineering field proved to be a challenge.
Finding Local Talent
Like many local high-tech companies, InterMed needed to fill the gaps in talent. But without an internship program already in place, the InterMed team had to devise a new way to connect with talented biomedical engineering students while also providing the proper training.
“A number of years ago we were afraid to touch an intern program,” Staab said. “We wouldn’t have done a good job for them if we tried. We did not have anything set up.”
The InterMed team and Santa Fe College partnered to create a pool of biomedical talent. While working on the advisory board to develop the state’s biomedical curriculum, Staab first joined with Santa Fe College and advised the school about how to upgrade its biomedical program – directly affecting how the students were being trained.
“Now, every semester we have 40 people in that class coming out to become biomedical engineers. We bring in three at a time. We have a great intern program set up now; it took some time, but we eliminated the fear,” Staab said.
“People don’t think about setting up their own internship program. They need to see that it’s not that scary, it’s doable and it will improve what your company can offer. People want to help you.”
InterMed has hired 60 percent of the interns who have been through the program.
“With this internship program, we have created something nobody else really in the country can do,” Staab said. “They have a hard time finding biomedical engineers – we don’t.”
Collaborating with SFC
According to Mary El-Semarani, M.S., Interim Assistant Professor and Coordinator for the biotechnology program at SFC, the program has incorporated two significant changes to address the rapidly evolving roles of biomedical engineering and the skill sets required to effectively support them.
“The program responded to the growing integration of hospital and laboratory equipment into computer networks monitoring performance as well as storing and sharing data in secure environments,” she said. “Currently, students are earning credits toward CISCO certification of skills in network operations.”
El-Semarani added that additional opportunities for enhancing students’ computer networking skills are currently under review.
The biomedical program’s growth was highlighted by its move to the Perry Center for Emerging Technologies in 2009.
El-Semarani says the move facilitated “cross talk” between closely related programs in biomedical engineering and biotechnology.
“By experiencing the interface between mutually relevant technologies, students can gain a deeper understanding of the broader applications of their training,” El-Semarani said.
That “training” continues to evolve in an advanced approach crafted by the likes of InterMed, El-Semarani, and SFC president Dr. Jackson Sasser; the result is a terrific boon both for InterMed and the local biomed industry.
“Dr. Sasser and the SFC team have an exceptional ability to work with the needs of different industries and shape programs to develop talented, skilled and work-ready students,” Staab said. “They made the process feel like they were doing it for us by allowing us to be involved and sharing our needs and wants.”
Insights from UF Entrepreneurs
With this new influx of talent, InterMed was ready to launch new projects while expanding others.
The Jump Team, for example, generated about $300,000 in 2012. In the first six months of 2013, the temp service had almost $3 million quoted out for specialized services.
Despite the service’s accomplishments, there is concern about how long the string of success can last before a downturn hits or the service orders slip.
In a bid to balance early achievement with planning for possible roadblocks ahead, InterMed sought help from the University of Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) for new insight into positioning the business for the future.
“They came back with all kinds of good ideas about how to approach our issues,” Staab said. “This community is awesome, and I don’t think a lot of people think to utilize the entrepreneurship team to help them arrive at some great ideas.”
He believes that the CEI is the sort of creative apparatus that would benefit any company.
“They provide great leadership, great ideas and new ways to approach and think about things. You have 40, 50…100 bright minds helping you come up with a business plan or telling you that you should do this or you should do that. It’s a resource that most people don’t utilize,” he said.
A Culture of Community Involvement
Just as Staab reached out to the community for industrial support, he makes it a top priority for InterMed and its employees to act as key components of the Gainesville community network of support.
“I could probably list a thousand different things we talk about to try and do all the time with different charities. Ronald McDonald House, Tyler’s Hope, the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation, LifeSouth, the American Heart Association, Boys and Girls Club, and more. Those are just a few examples,” he said. “Our employees are involved in mentoring programs, serve on boards of various nonprofits, and participate in charity events.”
“We give back monetarily, plus all the blood and sweat,” Staab said. “I think we are different than a lot of companies. People in this community don’t know too much about us because we don’t advertise, but they should know about what we do in the community. We all want a better community for our kids and our families.”
For Staab, it’s about creating an overarching community platform where residents have the opportunity to achieve success. His tireless work with InterMed and the Chamber of Commerce clearly reflect his dedication.
“InterMed is just a small example of what everybody, big or small, can do,” Staab said. “You shouldn’t always have to look to the chamber to create these things, or to the university to create these opportunities. Do it yourself.”
Innovative Job Creation
InterMed has built a resource people seek out. And those “people” are big companies, such as General Electric and Phillips, as well as large health care businesses.
“You have a problem, we can parachute into anywhere you are and help out,” Staab said, unintentionally delivering a crafty slogan that describes the essential function of the service with a hint of adventure.
Because no one else in the biomedical industry has a similar program, InterMed doesn’t have to devote attention to competition or engage in a biomedical arms race to stockpile engineering talent.
Staab says that this unique environment allows the company as a whole to focus on helping as many people as they can.