One-on-One with Dave Shultz, president of Hessco

For those who are weighing the pros and cons of purchasing from supply houses, Chiropractic Products talks with Dave Shultz, president of Hessco, Saukville, Wis, about the company’s commitment to chiropractic.

Q What is the benefit of purchasing from a supply house rather than directly from a manufacturer?
A There are three places to buy equipment in the chiropractic market: manufacturers, catalog companies, and full-service dealers. The advantage of buying from a full-service dealer like Hessco is: having representatives who will come to the office to demonstrate equipment and educate the doctor and staff on proper use. If customers have an existing table, we will go to them and make repairs if the table breaks or upgrade the table with new covers or a drop. When we sell a table, we offer a labor warranty, so that our technicians can fix any problems that may arise.

Q How does this impact your relationship with manufacturers and customers?
A Hessco works with top equipment manufacturers, and this allows us to have an excellent relationship. Most manufacturers appreciate a dealer who show their product, handles warranty work, and sells a high volume. For customers, we are able to give them a wide variety of product choices by representing many manufacturers. Our high volume allows us to offer very competitive pricing as well.

Q What does having 10 locations across the United States mean for your customers?
A Having company-owned offices across the country means Hessco can handle the equipment and service needs of most doctors. It also allows us to ship heavy supply items, such as headrest paper and ice packs, from the location nearest the doctor’s office, to save shipping cost and time. We have offices in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, California, and Virginia.

Q Tell us about Hessco’s tradition of supporting state and national associations.
A We are a family-run business that has grown with chiropractic and all the changes that have come. During the past 40 years, it has been exciting to grow together. From the beginning, we realized that it would be very important to offer support to state and national associations. Hessco has always been supportive when funds are needed for legal and legislative issues or programs, such as being a national corporate sponsor for the chiropractic centennial celebration.

Q What do you see for the future of chiropractic?
A The future of chiropractic will continue to be bright because of one factor—it works! It is the American way when things that work and do well continue to grow. I think having chiropractic care available to the military will be beneficial. That is a big step for the chiropractic community. The road may not always be smooth, but nothing can stop a profession that gets people well!

—Lauren Hirigoyen, Associate Editor