A Letter from the SVP: December 2024

Published in Member Communities on December 05, 2024

By Craig Douglas, Senior Vice President of HME, Respiratory, and Wellness, VGM & Associates

It seems nearly impossible that we are nearing the close of 2024. If you’re anything like me, you are probably wondering where the majority of 2024 went. However, as I look back at what all has happened this year and mix both the personal and professional happenings of the year together, it’s no wonder that it went by so fast. I think I attended over 20 industry meetings or conferences outside of my home state during 2024. My wife and I saw our firstborn child graduate high school and moved her off to college at the University of Iowa (go Hawkeyes!), and we watched a myriad of 8th grade basketball games that my son, now in 9th grade, was playing in. We even managed to sneak in one last quick family getaway before our daughter departed for college. All of that certainly contributed to the year passing quickly for me.

For those of you who I have not yet met, I am Craig Douglas, Senior Vice President of HME, Respiratory, and Wellness at VGM & Associates. While that role is new for me, I am not new to VGM or to many of you. I have been with VGM in various capacities for nearly 26 years. For the past eight years, I have served you all as VP of Payer and Member Relations within VGM & Associates. During the past two decades, I have attended and/or spoken at countless industry shows, conferences, state association shows, and other industry events, and have met thousands of you either at one of those events or via phone or email. That said, I know there are many of you reading this who I have never met, and I hope I get the opportunity to meet you soon. Medtrade and our Heartland Conference are both right around the corner, and those will both be great opportunities for our paths to cross.

Since our inception, VGM has always been a place where DMEPOS providers and our industry’s finest manufacturers, distributors, and service offering vendors come together to find better and more efficient ways to provide vital products and services to the patients who need them to live their lives to their fullest potential. This industry became my home very early on, and I love the role that VGM plays within it. Regardless of my position within the company at any point in time, I’ve always tried to look for ways to make things work, look, and feel better than they are. 

Our industry has had its share of headwinds, but we have had our share of wins as well, and our future is so bright because we play such an integral role in caring for people where they want to be; in their homes! 2025 is only a few weeks away, and I am looking forward to continuing to serve you all. We will continue to work to bring you tools, resources, insights, expertise, solutions, and partners to help you do business better, smarter, and more efficiently, so that you can continue to serve your customers in the best way possible. We are also launching a new Wellness program for 2025, and I’m excited about what that will bring. Don’t hesitate to tap into those resources, and please let me know if you have ideas regarding new or better ways that either I or we can serve you.

Enjoy these last few weeks of 2024, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2025! Thank you for your continued partnership and for continuing to put your trust in us to help you create a better future for your respective companies and for our industry as a whole!

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