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Healthcare supply chain hall of fame calls for bellwethers
Bellwether League Inc. seeks honoree nominations for industry innovators, leaders and pioneers for 2011 Inductee class

SCHAUMBURG, IL (March 1, 2011) – If you know of an innovator, leader or pioneer in your organization or in the healthcare supply chain industry, Bellwether League Inc. would like to meet and learn about him or her.

Bellwether League Inc., the healthcare supply chain hall of fame, seeks honoree nominations to consider for the Bellwether Class of 2011. Deadline: Friday, April 1.

The 11-member Board of Directors of Bellwether League Inc. plan to select this year’s honorees this spring for formal induction in the fall at its 4th annual honoree induction dinner event.

To date, Bellwether League Inc. has inducted 36 bellwethers. Read each inductee’s profile at www.bellwetherleague.org/honorees.html.

Bellwether League Inc. accepts nominations in any of five distinct categories. They are: Education & Media, Supply Chain Management, Group Purchasing, Supplier and Consultant.

• Education & Media: College/university professors and researchers, publishers, editors and writers.
• Supply Chain Management: Professionals working at hospitals and other non-acute care facilities, hospital systems and integrated delivery organizations.
• Group Purchasing: Professionals from among the national, regional, state, metropolitan and local group purchasing programs.
• Supplier: Professionals employed by manufacturers and distributors of products and services purchased by healthcare providers.
• Consultant: Professionals that advise, instruct and motivate healthcare supply chain managers as the primary focus of their practice.

Bellwether League Inc.’s Board of Directors selects deceased, retired and currently active professionals with a minimum of 25 years of exemplary service and leadership performance in supply chain operations that meet its criteria to be publicly recognized. Honorees demonstrate their qualifications through advancing the profession, work experience, work performance and active participation in professional organizations.

The official nomination form can be found on its Web site.

About Bellwether League Inc.

Launched in late July 2007 by a group of influential veterans in the healthcare supply chain industry, Bellwether League Inc., is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation that identifies and honors men and women who have demonstrated significant leadership in, influence on and contributions to the supply chain from healthcare providers, healthcare product manufacturers and distributors, group purchasing organizations, consulting firms, educational institutions and media outlets.

Bellwether League Inc. is funded by five Founding Sponsors – Hospira, Kimberly-Clark Health Care, MedAssets, Owens & Minor and Premier Purchasing Partners – and a host of additional sponsors.

The Bellwether Classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010, include 36 industry innovators, leaders and pioneers.

The Board of Directors of Bellwether League Inc. comprises a veteran group of industry advocates that includes:

• Jamie C. Kowalski (co-founder, chairman), CEO, Jamie C. Kowalski Consulting LLC, Milwaukee, WI
• Rick Dana Barlow (co-founder, executive director), president, Wingfoot Media Inc., Schaumburg, IL
• John B. Gaida, (secretary) senior vice president of supply chain management, Texas Health Resources, Arlington, TX
• Patrick E. Carroll Jr. (treasurer), president, Patrick E. Carroll & Associates, Cypress, CA
• James F. Dickow, president, Dickow Associates, Mequon, WI
• James R. Francis, chair, supply chain management, and chief supply chain officer, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• Mark M. McKenna, retired president and CEO, Novation LLC, Dallas, TX
• Vance B. Moore, president, Resource Optimization & Innovation, a division of the Sisters of Mercy Health System, Chesterfield, MO
• Richard A. Perrin, president and CEO, AdvanTech Inc., Annapolis, MD
• Jean M. Sargent, director, supply chain, USC Health Sciences, Los Angeles
• Mary A. Starr, director, AdvantageTrust, HealthTrust Purchasing Group, Schaumburg, IL

For more information, to become a corporate or individual sponsor or to nominate honoree candidates visit Bellwether League Inc.’s Web site at www.bellwetherleague.org.

Bellwether League Inc. (BLI) is a non-stock, not-for-profit Illinois corporation, tax exempt under IRS Code Section 501(c)(6). BLI donations and sponsorships are not deductible as a charitable contribution for income tax purposes, but may be deductible as a business expense.