ATLANTA (October 25, 2017)—HOMES is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2017 Van Miller Homecare Champion Award is our own Gary Sheehan, president and CEO of Cape Medical Supply, Sandwich, Massachusetts. Van was a staunch advocate for the HME industry and this award could not have gone to a more deserving candidate! The award was presented this evening at the AAHomecare Stand Up for Homecare event in Atlanta, Georgia. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Gary! Thank you for everything you do for HOMES and our members!
A Well-Deserved Honor—from Karyn Estrella
Cape Medical Supply started in the rented home of Mark and Nancy Sheehan in Mashpee, Massachusetts in 1977. The following June 1978, they welcomed their first child, Gary, into the family. I don't know if this can be scientifically proven, but it appears that DME is in Gary's DNA! I had the privilege of working with Mark in my early years with HOMES (then NEMED) as a member of our board of directors. For those of you who know Mark, he was a bit "rough around the edges" and a trail-blazer but he had an enormous heart. Throughout his tenure at the helm of Cape Medical Supply (BTW—their acronym is CMS but you'll forgive me if I only use their full name!), Mark would be the recipient of numerous awards including the Business Philanthropist Award in 2008, first runner up for the Best Home Medical Equipment Company in the United States in 2009 and the New England Medical Equipment Dealers Member of the Year Award in 2009.
The apple does not fall far
Since taking the helm of Cape Medical Supply upon his parents' retirement in 2006, the company has soared to new heights under Gary's skillful leadership. He has rebranded and refocused the company and in 2013, just four years after receiving the runner-up award, Cape Medical Supply was named The Best Home Medical Equipment Company in the United States. They have since gone on to be named to the Inc. 5,000 list of America's fastest growing private companies for the sixth time in 2015. Gary has served on the Home Medical Equipment and Services Association of New England board of directors since 2011 and was our chairman from 2015–2016. Gary was the recipient of the Christopher J. Denmark, Commitment to Excellence Award in 2015.
During this unprecedented time of consolidation, Cape Medical Supply has been growing with multiple locations in three states. Remarkably, Gary has shared some of his knowledge and strategies with his colleagues, giving educational sessions at HOMES, Medtrade and other organizations. To coin the phrase from E.F. Hutton, “When Gary talks—people listen!” And when it comes to advocacy, there are few with more passion for our industry than him. He not only lobbies his own elected officials, he contacts every elected official in New England when we need signatures on key legislation or “Dear Colleague” letters. For all I know, he may be lobbying YOUR member of Congress!
Gary is the same age as my eldest daughter and in many ways, I've watched him grow like a proud parent. As it was an honor to work with his father before him, it has been an honor to work with Gary.
Gary, thank you for being an inspiration to the members of HOMES and the entire HME industry. Thank you AAHomecare for honoring Gary with the 2017 Van Miller Homecare Champion Award. Congratulations!
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