Thirty five years ago, Gary Lawson and Lee Rice, two friends working in the medical device industry, recognized the need for a specialized orthopedic distributor in New England.  At the time, most medical distributors were general line distributors—selling everything from dialysis machines to hospital beds.  Hampered by the breadth of their product lines, it was too costly for most general line distributors to hire an orthopedics-specific sales force.  Consequently, less information was provided to physicians and surgeons on the safe and effective use of emerging orthopedic technologies.  

Fueled by their passion for advanced technologies, Gary and Lee set out to build a company that would cater exclusively to the orthopedic community.  Their mission?  To provide the best orthopedic products on the market with a focus on exceptional customer service.  Armed with only technical expertise, an entrepreneurial vision, and a small, single-room office, they went in search of a lender to fund their mission.  “We needed a loan to start the company and at first no banks would talk to us,” Rice says.  “Finally a small bank on the South Shore agreed to loan us the money if we met our numbers by the end of the first quarter.  It came down to the last day of the first quarter and we were looking at either success or bankruptcy.”  Fortunately—success it was—and Surgi-Care, Inc. was born.

By 1982, Surgi-Care had six employees.  Surgi-Care (or “Surgi” as the company is fondly referred to by its employees) held its first golf tournament that year.  There were so few employees, Lawson and Rice had to invite their friends to participate.  Determined not to let their company’s small size interfere with their success, they set out to find an exciting, new technology to put them on the map.  They found just what they were looking for at a Grand Rounds talk in Boston hosted by Dr. Richard D. Coutts.  The technique Dr. Coutts discussed was a new therapy for patients recovering from reconstructive joint surgery.  It was called continuous passive motion therapy.  The new therapy used a machine (called a “CPM” machine) to gradually increase the patient’s range of motion over time.  Dr. Coutts showed how it helped patients recover faster and more effectively following surgery, all while reducing pain.  Rice and Lawson immediately realized the beneficial impact this device could have on the orthopedic industry.  Moreover, it was exactly the kind of ground-breaking product they were looking for to start building a reputation for excellence.  That same year, Surgi-Care became the first distributor of continuous passive motion machines in New England.

More than three decades later, continuous passive motion therapy is still going strong, and so is Surgi-Care.  Since its inception, Surgi-Care has added thousands of orthopedic devices to its product line.  The company has joined forces with some of the best known innovators in the business, including Stryker and DJO Global, to deliver the most effective and safe orthopedic products on the market. 

Thanks to all the doctors, surgeons, podiatrists, nurses, administrators and patients who supported Surgi-Care’s original vision, Surgi-Care is now New England's leading provider of CPM and other orthopedic rehabilitation devices, a leading provider of orthopedic trauma products, and New England’s #1 choice for total knee replacements. 

“Our goal has always been to be the best not just in New England, but in the country,” says Rice, adding “And we continually work toward that goal by making a commitment to hiring the best people and by focusing solely on orthopedic products.”

 What’s the secret to their success?  Lawson and Rice know the past thirty-five years would never have been possible without the help of their most important business partner: their customers. “Listening to our customers has helped us keep up.  They were our advisors all the way through.”