It is over halfway through January and I am just now getting around to writing this letter, a task that I very much enjoy each year. It is such a privilege and honor to get to work with so many amazing people. From our team members, to our suppliers, and our customers, I am truly blessed to have my life touched by yours. The work that we do is both humbling and deeply satisfying, especially considering the notion that the operating room is a sacred space. This notion is more real to me today than at any time in my career in healthcare.  

2019 was a challenging year in several ways. We continued experiencing growth and increased market share, which is awesome. However, with this kind of growth, we have found the need to simplify and clarify throughout the organization in order to focus on the things that truly matter. I am grateful to our leadership team for helping keep me stay sane (somewhat) through the day to day opportunities and obstacles. Overall, I am satisfied with our progress in 2019 and super excited about 2020.  

This year we will fully implement an integrated software system that will allow us to scale the business. We have restructured our sales and support teams in such a way to provide excellent customer service while freeing up our leaders to develop the team and improve our systems and practices. In May, we will begin transitioning to a new office facility as we have far outgrown our current space.  

This year, for the first time, Medworks will have a booth at the American Urological Association meeting, which will be held in Washington, DC. Our partners, Richard Wolf, Bard, and Convergent will also have booths there. All of this is to allow us an opportunity to make more urologists aware of our vision to “Make the Room Better”, through providing comprehensive support of not just the laser, but the instrumentation and disposables as well.  

We have begun our entry into CO2 lasers for urology, gynecology, and ENT. We are introducing new lasers that include fiber capability and may be used in numerous types of procedures. This is an exciting new venture for Medworks and we look forward to rolling it out in 2020.  

In the summer of 2019, we were able to provide hundreds of “care bags” for the Caring Clothes Closet. We did this with the participation of almost every Medworks team member. We also continued work with Fostering Hope, Fostering Acadia, and Virginia’s Kids Belong. These three organizations focus on solving specific parts of the fostering crisis in Virginia (finding enough foster parents, permanency, the aging out population). At Christmas this year, we supported a wonderful organization called Connor’s Heroes. They focus on helping provide comfort and support for children undergoing cancer treatment. We were able to focus on the teenage group and provided many needed items they can use daily to improve their hospital experience. In addition, several of our team members volunteered time inside and outside of the USA, giving time to their causes of choice.  

In our mission to “Make the Room Better”, we often talk about making any room better. We can do that by bringing our best attitude, our best attention, and our best selves to wherever we go. In 2020, I trust that we will all work to make the room better, make our communities better, and make the world better. Here’s to an incredible journey in 2020!  

Darrell Shires
President, Medworks

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