Cape Medical Supply Featured in Article on Expansion
Published on Tuesday, June 09, 2009
From the Yarmouth Register Newspaper, CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE ON THEIR WEBSITE
Bad economy doesn’t deter local businesses
By Jen Ouellette
Sun Jun 07, 2009, 07:13 AM EDT
YARMOUTH - It’s often said, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” and two local businesses are following that advice.
David Thibodeau of Yarmouth Port recently launched i/o Flyte Computer Company, a technology firm that manufactures unique devices that combine diverse technology media into one advanced unit.
The units allow owners to watch hi-def Blu-Ray movies, play high-end PC gaming, surf the net, have HDTV and high capacity storage for music and movies in one single entertainment center connected to the family TV.
“I’m not really looking at the economy. It was just the right time for me. It might be easier if the economy is up, but you know a lot of businesses have started and flourished in a bad economy,” says Thibodeau, who is “phasing out” of his position at Family Choice Mortgage Corp.
He said the idea to incorporate the home computer into the home theater system came to him about two years ago.
“The necessary components were suddenly becoming available. So I went out and did some research and started building prototypes.
What I wanted was an extremely powerful computer in a very small footprint,” says Thibodeau.
Thibodeau says there are a few models of home theater PCs on the market now, but they are missing the graphics card, which allows for hi-def games to be played on a television screen.
He currently has three models of the units available ranging in prices from just under $1,000 to $2,200. One model is on display at Extreme Audio on Yarmouth Road in Hyannis.
Bad economy can spark new ideas
A poor economy sometimes serves as a stimulus for entrepreneurs.
Jeannine Marshall, executive director of Coastal Community Capital, says her organization is seeing a lot of folks who have been laid off looking for loans to start their own business.
“Maybe they were dabbling in something before and subsequently laid off and now looking to something full time,” she says.
Marshall says they are also seeing transfers of businesses, a lot of debt refinancing and some expansion.
“We are seeing a little bit of expansion, which is nice. A lot of the commercial properties that have gone are being snapped up, which is somewhat encouraging,” Marshall says.
One such business growing in a time when most businesses are tightening their belts is Cape Medical Supply. With headquarters in Sandwich and locations in Falmouth and Plymouth, Hyannis was a logical next step.
“We’re in healthcare and retail and on Cape Cod if you’re going to be in either one of those businesses, Hyannis is the right place to be,” says Gary Sheehan, the company’s president and CEO.
Sheehan equates success with service.
“If you provide a really high level of service, people will come to you in good times and bad. Too often I think what you see people do in bad times is they cut back in service,” he says, adding that his second rule of thumb is to treat his employees really well.
“The first person my parents hired still works here. A lot of those early hires are still here because it’s a good work environment and they believe not only in the work they do, but also the company,” says Sheehan.
The new store at 499 Bearses Way is a 1,000-square-foot showroom with a patient meeting room and storage space.
Both Sheehan and Thibodeau say the economy played a role in their decisions.
“At some level you can do well in this environment if you are in expansion mode because there are more opportunities out there,” says Sheehan, referring to the availability of commercial property.
For Thibodeau, the economy gave him the freedom he needed to investigate options.
“No question that the market for a home theater computer – if you were to pick a time this wouldn’t be it. But it was the down economy that gave me the time and a chance to sit back and do some reflection and build these prototypes,” says Thibodeau.
