Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Marolda.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Paul. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Started cleaning medical equipment prior to graduating high school in 1983. Went to college for a year and found out I really liked the home medical equipment business. Also found out after many jobs that working for someone else was not for me. After jumping from company to company, gaining as much knowledge as I could I started Mars Medical in my home February 18, 1999. Moved company out of the house and had locations in Oak Forest, Chicago and Oak Lawn before settling down in New Lenox in 2008.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Daily struggles. Healthcare industry and insurance billing has been volatile since day one and has only gotten worse with the affordable care act and various other regulations that have drowned small business owners. The growth of Amazon, eBay and the like have really knocked us around some. It has also made us more streamlined and flexible, which has been good for business.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Mars Medical – what should we know?
We were known for serving the Illinois Medicaid community, specializing in adult incontinent products, bathroom safety products and wheelchair repair. As the entire insurance billing industry, Medicare, Illinois Medicaid, and private insurances has gone to a managed care or bid system, almost completely elimination small to mid-sized companies, we have shifted to a retail model offering lift chair and motorized scooter sales and rentals, knee walkers (huge business and best pricing in the Chicagoland are), equipment repair and custom product offerings like the IWalk 2.0
I am most proud of my staff that lives up to our motto “Customer Care that’s out of this World”. Whether its spending the extra time to find a special product that our customer tells us no one else would help them with or our delivery technician going out on his day off to help a customer put a starter in her car (true story!), the people that work at Mars Medical really extend themselves when it comes to taking care of our customers.
What sets us apart is out ability to research and find products for customers that almost no other company would look for. No staff member is restricted to selling what is just on the shelf. If we can’t find it from one of our numerous vendors, we will find a new source to special order an item. The staff takes the time to exhaust all resources at our disposal.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Perseverance. Showing up and putting the time in every day. The rules of the game, the reimbursements and regulations are changing constantly. Long hours and reinvesting in what we are doing is the only way for a small family owned business to survive in this industry (and that doesn’t guarantee anything either!)
Pricing:
- Knee walker rentals-$55.00 per month, free delivery in the Chicagoland area
- Lift chair rentals-$125.00 per month, free delivery in the Chicagoland area
- Motorized scooters starting at $995.00 new or rentals from $150.00 per month
Contact Info:
- Address: 333 W. Maple Street,
New Lenox, IL 60451 - Website: marsmedicalsupply.com
- Phone: (815) 462-9339, (800) 991-1922
- Email: marsmed@comcast.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarsMedical
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