MedXS and the Cleveland job market

Medical equipment is a big budget item for all kinds of medical services. Managing it--acquiring it, appraising it, and reselling/disposing of it--takes time and financial resources. A local NEO entrepreneur came up with the idea of taking those duties off your hands--Kevin Tenkku founded MedXS to do just that. Read more about MedXS here.

I met MedXS's marketing manager, Michael Gonzalez, at a recent NEOBio event where multiple organizations explained how bioscience companies can find help in Northeast Ohio. Michael spoke up and said it had taken him two years when he first moved here to learn about all the people, places, and things he heard about at the event.

I asked him a few questions about his experience:

CC: How did you end up coming to Cleveland?
MG: My wife is from the area and we wanted to raise our child (now children) in Cleveland. Now, as the marketing manager for Med-XS, my job is to generate positive awareness for the company and support our sales efforts. I also direct the company's marketing and communications strategy.

CC: Where did you go at first to look for information? (and how did you identify those people/places?)
MG: For local news I read The Plain Dealer and Crain’s Cleveland Business. For industry news, I subscribe to several e-news publications including Dali-E-News and HealthLeaders. For networking, I am active with NEOSA and NEOBio--both great resources for local contacts on my questions about how to do my job better.

It's good to be able to call or email someone local about challenges I face, and I also want to be a resource for anyone who might find some value in my experience.

Though I'm never truly confident that I have found all of the possible resources--there are so many out there--I've now built a good network of professionals who can assist me in a broad range of area including healthcare, IT, marketing, and sales.

CC: How did you feel about the presentations we saw?
MG: The event was very informative, but I would have liked a few more specifics. We all want to find resources that fit the particular issues that affect us.

CC: How do you feel about Cleveland so far?
MG: I strongly believe in Cleveland and I am a big advocate (both locally and nationally) for the region. And from a personal standpoint, I think it's a wonderful place to raise a family. On the professional side, I think businesses here could do more to make the region attractive to professionals--in particular, by putting a higher value on experience in major markets like New York City.

CC: You felt that coming from the New York market appeared to be a disadvantage in the job market here?
MG: It did occasionally seem to be. And my wife, who is also a marketing professional, had similar experiences.

Well, it seems we're not out of the woods yet, Cleveland. That old accusation of our being a tad provincial might still have some kick in it outside the city. Good thing to work on!