Bryon Merade  0:01  
So to me, a real leader is one that has a shared vision, shared purpose, and puts their team first making sure they have the right training tools, resources and support. And that people know that you genuinely care about them and are here to support them. And then make sure you get out of their way, remove the roadblocks and let them do what they're really passionate about doing.

kevin edwards  0:29  
That's the voice of Bryon Merade, who shares his vision to help improve the way of life for 1 million women by 2025. How is his team doing it? Find out on this episode of The Real ears podcast? Enjoy. And we'll get started here if you're ready, Bryon

Bryon Merade  0:50  
Sure, let's do it. 

kevin edwards  0:50  
All right, let's have fun here

we go in 5432 and one and welcome everyone to the Real Leaders podcast. your number one source For impact leaders, harnessing capitalism sustain the planet, people and profits. I'm your host, Kevin Edwards. And joining me today is Bryon Merade, the CEO of Caldera medical. Bryon, thanks for being with us today.

Bryon Merade  1:12  
Yeah, thanks. Thanks for having me, Kevin. Appreciate it.

kevin edwards  1:14  
Absolutely. We'll Caldera Medical just place on Real Leaders impact awards 2020 list. And I think what our guests, our viewers and myself included, like so much about the podcast is impact comes in all shapes and sizes. And so whether you're an entrepreneur trying to reduce carbon emissions and the supply chain in Tanzania, you're CEO of a solar wind farm, or solar and wind farm in New Hampshire, or a CEO of a medical device company that's trying to reduce stress urinary incontinence, there we go and pelvic organ prolapse. Impact comes in all shapes and sizes. So the first question I have for you Bryon, is was impact mean to you? And how is Caldera Medical treating it?

Bryon Merade  2:04  
Yeah. So first of all, I think it's a great question and I'm glad to be here. You know, for for Caldera, we've been in the business of helping improve the quality of life for women for over 17 years. And, and the way that we really measure impact for us is that three years ago, in 2016, we really set an ambitious goal from the humanitarian side of having a significant impact in the world. And the goal that we chose was by the year 2025, that we want to serve 1 million women and underserved populations around the world to treat them with procedures or treatment options for women who do do suffer from stress incontinence or pelvic prolapse and the way that we do that is by taking US surgeons and sending them on trips around the world, to train local physicians how to do these procedures, not necessarily with a Caldera product, because not all the time, women would be best served by our product, but sometimes it's just making sure they received the right type of care. And ultimately, it's about training local physicians, how to do these procedures, so that they can go back to their areas, and really support the women in their local communities. And so for us, it's it's really about, you know, giving back in a much bigger way than just our commercial operations. It's really making sure that women that would otherwise not have access to treatment options are really served with the same level of care as if you were in a first world country.

kevin edwards  3:51  
Fascinating, Bryon, why make this decision? So the Women's Health Initiative is out to like you said 1 million treat 1 million people. So Why now? Are you deciding to make that initiative, an actual thing?

Bryon Merade  4:06  
really was a collective decision by all the employees in the company, we've been doing tremendously well, we've been growing at a very fast clip. And, you know, part of that commercial success comes with an ability to do bigger and bolder things. And for us, we really care significantly about our mission, which is improving the quality of life for women. And we got together as as an entire employee base and said, Well, what does that mean to us beyond just, you know, sales and operations, and we decided to really put our money where our mouth is, which is, how about the women who aren't able to seek care or have great insurance or happen to live in a, you know, first world country? What about those women and aren't they equally deserving? As if you were both And in Chicago, or LA or New York. And so for us, it was really, we had the ability financially, to give back more in a humanitarian way. And it's something that we believe in deeply. And therefore, that's where we chose to put our, you know, charitable dollars at work and really try to have a singular mission of really helping these women who would otherwise really not have access to care. And, you know, Kevin, it's, it's really shocking to understand that if you have stress incontinence or pelvic prolapse and you're in an underdeveloped country, that there are no good options most of the time, and these women are forced to live in terrible conditions and, you know, with pain and suffering well beyond what they should give an access to reasonable health care. And so for us, it was a treat treatable condition. And no one else is currently serving that need. Therefore, because we have the ability to do it, that's what we chose to put our efforts into

kevin edwards  6:13  
incredible and where around the world are you helping these underserved communities.

Bryon Merade  6:18  
So just in 2019, multiple different continents with whether it be in Africa or Central America, Europe, etc. We we've done many trips in different areas, what we try to find is an area where there is a real significant need, but there isn't great access to health care. And then we, as I said, we partner with US physicians that are experts in their field and who have a real passion for training doctors. So again, these trips are really about training local physicians how to do these types. Have procedures to treat women back in their local villages or towns.

kevin edwards  7:05  
So Bryon you said three years ago, this was the idea started by your employees. How difficult was it to find good partners in these areas? Maybe Walker audience, there's some of the challenges that you face to get this tour I to accomplish this mission of 1 million females by this date? Point What 2025?

Bryon Merade  7:26  
Yeah. So what I would say is that it's not all that difficult to get the physicians interested. And what I'd say is, many people listening I'm sure I've done some type of humanitarian work. And what I always tell people is your first humanitarian trip is life changing. You'll never be the same. I'll never look at the world the same way. You'll come back with a much deeper appreciation for what we have and your desire to give back. So many doctors have done different types of trips. We've Just really put it all together with the logistics and the the centers and the opportunity for them to not only treat women on those trips, but more importantly, train local doctors. And so if you think about it, if a doctor goes for a week, and they treat, let's say, 100 women during that week, so that's, that's fantastic. 100 women get trained. But if those same group of doctors also train 30 4050 local physicians, and then each of those physicians go back to their areas, and they treat 200 300 women per year. Now you're talking about exponential change, right? You're talking about the potential to have generational impact. So instead of treating those hundred people during that trip, you're now responsible, maybe for 5000 women a year. being trained year after year. And that's how you make very significant impact in areas.

kevin edwards  9:08  
I see an author behind Michael Porter. He's famous for also not just as five forces but shared value that that technique. Is this something that you're inspired by and what was maybe something that you read you saw or you were impacted by that helped you? Or at least gave you some conviction that a decision like this would be something that would have an impact on your employees as well?

Bryon Merade  9:33  
Yeah, well, look, I would what I would say is that this is deeply rooted in our core values as an organization. And you know, for us, we call them our four C's with with the two being most related to this is care and collaborate, create and change are the other ones. But really, we we care about our mission first and foremost. Right, it's pure. We're a business that is designed to do good, right as a mission of improving the quality of life for women. That's what we're focused on each and every day. We happen to make different surgical products to treat women with these conditions on the commercial side. But really, it's the mission that drives us and, and I think anyone who gets involved with our organization at any position in our company, it's really about people who have this shared vision of really helping women. And so for us, this was this was a no brainer to do. And again, I caught the bug on my first humanitarian trip years ago, happened to be a trip to Guatemala, and we did some amazing things. And for me, it always lived in my heart that because we have the opportunity and the privilege, that quite frankly, I see it almost as a right that we have to do this type of work. And it's To me, it's incredibly gratifying. And it's a reason why many of the employees stay here year after year after year. 

kevin edwards  11:11  
Have you found that employees are also attracted to your company because of these core values?

Bryon Merade  11:16  
Yeah, we hear that all the time. You know, if you if you are a candidate or and during interviews, people will tell us that they did some research or googled our company, and they, they hear amazing things about our culture, and the work we're doing. And you know, there's many options and today's robust economy. The competition for great talent is very strong. But people want to work for a company that cares more than just about the economics. And we've always been an organization that cares more about doing the right thing than maximizing profit, that that hasn't been our drive and for myself, I always think that if you do the right thing, you never have to worry about making your profit numbers or your top line revenue numbers, that that is oftentimes a byproduct of doing the right thing year after year. And fortunately for us, that's true. You know, we consistently are exceeding expectations from a growth standpoint and every other metric we're looking at. And it's largely because we're focused on doing the right thing, not trying to, you know, make the quarterly number.

kevin edwards  12:32  
So I've had a lot of conversations about this. And will the one term the opposing term that always gets discussed is trade off. Did you ever or have you ever felt the effect of a trade off by doing something like this? Or have you felt more of a return that your employees, your culture, your everything is impacted by the work that you're doing outside of just the medical devices as well?

Bryon Merade  12:59  
Well, I would, it would be remiss to say that you you never look at that when you're setting up a program like our women's health initiative. Because there's there's real dollars being spent. And it's significant. And you know, we have some much bigger competitors that that we're in the market with, yet we spend probably 10 times more on humanitarian than any of our much larger competitors. So yeah, I mean, at some point, you, you look at that, and then, and then you say, you know what, but this is the right thing to do. And we don't even do it from a marketing perspective. In fact, we really don't market this aspect of the organization commercially at all. But I will tell you that many customers, surgeons and hospitals, have come to us at conferences and say, we want to do business with you because of the humanitarian work that you're doing. And I think it's great that it resonates with people and they they gravitate towards us because of that. That's not the reason we do it, we do it because it is the right thing to do. We have the capability to do it. And and we've put aside, you know, a significant amount of budget as well as resources to do this. And it's incredibly gratifying. And I would say even one step further, you know, if I'm, at the end of my life, looking back, and I'm trying to see what I've accomplished in life, with a collection of people, I think our women's health initiative and the work we're doing to give back to women and underserved populations, will perhaps be the most significant contribution that I've I've made, along with all the other people that are associated with this and to me, it won't be about how big the company got or how much profit you know, we made it will be how many women did we treat That had no other option. And to me, that's ultimately what feels good for myself as, as well as for everyone who works at Caldera, and then all the surgeons that we partner with, you know, if you talk to them, they'll tell you the same thing that it is perhaps the most gratifying thing they do. Professional.

kevin edwards  15:23  
Bryon, have you found in the last three years or the last, say 20 years a difference between business owners, leaders of the industry, having this this call to impact has changed in are people more willing to work with you? Because of it as well? I guess you already answered that. But

Bryon Merade  15:46  
look, I think I wish it would change more amongst all the companies in our industry, you know, we're, we're privately held so we perhaps have a little more flexibility in that But I would encourage all of our competitors to do the same thing. And we're not looking for, you know, some competitive advantage from a marketing perspective, I would invite each and every one of our competitors how to do it and do it in an even bigger way than we're doing it. I would gladly share that with anyone who would want to participate, because it is the right thing to do. And ultimately, you know, we can solve some of these issues if we have a big enough focus on it. So for me, I I wish it was done by by more companies. I do think that it is a way to attract great talent that care about giving back and true impact. And I think in today's society, it really does matter to employees and they want to work for a company that stands for something that it's not about earnings per share. It's really About what impact are they making when they choose to come to work at a company, and all things being equal, and again, today's economy, it's booming, the, you know, the competition for talent is very significant. And so employees know that they have choices, and they, they can leave, they can go to different companies that maybe are more meaningful to them and that they feel better about. And I think it's something that makes me feel good about getting up every day and coming to work for Caldera, which is a company that really cares. And I think we hear it from many of our employees, that that's the reason that they're so motivated and engaged.

kevin edwards  17:44  
Bryon, you mentioned this ripple effect of impact when you when you train one doctor, one female, they can train others and that can be exponential. In terms of your design for this nonprofit, this initiative. Were there any other similar traits that when you were designing this operation that you wanted to instill in there, and how did you view that process?

Bryon Merade  18:08  
When we were designing the program, we we wanted to make sure it's something that was scalable, right? So for us to treat a million women in 10 years on this humanitarian side, meet means it has to be really scalable. So we needed to find locations that had enough infrastructure to support bringing a group of surgeons, we needed a place where one we could get access to, we could travel to that there was some safety and security for the people that were we're going that visas would be able to be attained on a fairly easy basis and that we could really make an impact and be welcomed. Right not you got to make sure that there are people really wanting what you're willing to offer. For. And so we had to marry all of those things together. And operationally, you know, there's some logistics there that need to be overcome. And that's, that's what we spent a fair amount of time on making sure that we would get it done and get it the right way in no safe and effective manner. And for us, it is scalable. And that's, that's why we're, we're tracking very nicely towards our goal. And, you know, it'd be great to achieve it even earlier.

kevin edwards  19:32  
Bryon, working in marginalized communities, developing worlds I've heard, it's pretty challenging, especially with those who don't have any identity, those who are dealing with health insurance problems and compensation and payment issues, payment problems, what are some of the challenges that you face in these local communities, and maybe help conceptualize what you're dealing with and the people that you help treat in these days. Helping countries.

Bryon Merade  20:03  
Yes, some of it again, it's just making sure you have the right facilities. And so you have to be able to have a clinic or an area to do surgery that is safe, it's clean, they have access to the right supplies, medicines, tools, etc. to do procedures. So there's a ground team that has to make sure that everything is set. You can't just bring a group of people and say, Let's go, you have to make sure all the infrastructure is in place and ready to go. And so that oftentimes mean we have to look at partnerships, you know, with other suppliers or or make sure that we have enough funding to pay for those types of supplies. But But those things are achievable and there's no we're not the first company to work on these types of medical humanitarian trips. And so it's something that can be accomplished. And then ultimately, it's about the funding, and people have to be nice. That's something that's incredibly important to us. And that's why we set aside a substantial amount of money to execute on this.

kevin edwards  21:19  
I just love how aggressive of a goal This is, like 2025 alleviate 1 million women suffering from incontinence and prolapse by 2025. very aggressive goal. It's a lot of people, that you're having an impact on what type of leadership is needed in order to achieve this goal, not only from surgeons in the medical world, but also from municipalities in those local communities.

Bryon Merade  21:46  
Again, if you picked the right areas, the local governments are delighted to have you. But we just shouldn't assume that every place wants that type of support. So We never assume that we come in and ask, Is there an opportunity for us to piggyback off what you're trying to do in your local area to offer support. And so I think if you take that humble approach, people are very receptive and willing to kind of walk you through all the red tape that might exist. And so that part is fine. I think, for us, also recruiting the surgeons to go on these trips and to leave their families in their practices for a week, 10 days, maybe even two weeks at a time is significant. And so to me, that's all about shared vision. Right? You have to make sure that the vision is clear that people understand that this is not for some commercial reason, that this is truly just for the right reasons of helping women otherwise wouldn't have access to care. And making sure people know that there there is nothing associated with our commercial side of the business. This isn't, you know, linked to, you know, only working with doctors who, you know, use Caldera medical products, not at all This is open to any doctor who has the skill who has the ambition of training local doctors. And so it's about communicating that shared vision of what we're doing. And there are no shortage of physicians that are highly trained, that have a true desire to give back themselves. They just haven't seen it oftentimes with a focus on women's pelvic health, like we have. And so once they hear about it, and they hear the vision, and and the way that we execute on this recruiting physicians is the least of our challenges. We certainly have a long list of fantastic physicians, and a waiting list to go on these types of trips. So we've definitely hit on something. That's why I would say I would, I would encourage any company in our industry to get in touch and we're happy to help them replicate this within, you know, their own businesses.

kevin edwards  24:28  
alignment and like you said, communicating a shared vision is very difficult. Whether you're on a team of five or a bit large corporation, basketball team football team, it's pretty difficult to what's the is there a difference between communicating shared vision in your for profit side versus your nonprofit side? And what are some strategies that helps your organization do that?

Bryon Merade  24:51  
No, I don't think there's a difference at all when when discussing a shared vision and again, you talked about it could be, you know, a basketball team Or you know, anything in between? I think one you have to be really clear to you have to be really specific. Right? Our vision of improving the quality of life for women, specifically within stress, urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse allows people to understand exactly what we're doing, why we're doing it, right, what we're trying to accomplish 1 million women, the timeline, we're trying to accomplish it within by 2025. Right? If you make it too broad, people don't understand. They may say, Well, that sounds interesting, but how do you actually accomplish that? Right? I think you have to break it down with a lot more specificity, which is what we've attempted to do. And we're not trying to you know, you know, cure everything we're saying, we can have a deep and meaningful impact. In a pretty specific area, but there's also 40 plus million women that suffer from these condition. There's no chore, right? That are suffering, right. And we're one of only a few companies who really have this type of expertise. And therefore there's a significant need. There's no one else really tackling this. And so for us, we feel like, Look, it's really our obligation to give back. And, and that's why we're focused on and I think we can continue to meet our objectives on this.

kevin edwards  26:35  
Bryon communicating a shared specific vision is a trait of leadership. So last question I have for you, Bryon, is what is your definition of a real leader?

Bryon Merade  26:45  
Well, again, I think it's, it's very similar to what we were just talking about one, once you have kind of where you're trying to go, then you surround yourself with a team that is deeply passionate. about going to the same place that you're wanting to go. And then as a leader, that you need to really put your team and helping them accomplish their objectives first and foremost, because if you help your team accomplish their objectives, and they're getting professionally developed, and they're getting supported, and you're all aligned on this shared vision, the level of engagement that you will get in return is so significant to anything else you would accomplish that accomplishing those objectives becomes much easier. So to me, a real leader is one that has a shared vision, shared purpose, and puts their team first making sure they have the right training tools, resources and support and that people know that you genuinely care about them and are here to support them. And then make sure you Get out of their way, remove the roadblocks and let them do what they're really passionate about doing. And in my experience, when you put all those things together, you blow past whatever expectations you had set out to accomplish.

kevin edwards  28:15  
Fascinating. Bryon, appreciate your time coming on the religious podcast day we talked about a lot talked about the impact that called their medical is creating, especially in these developing worlds, how that's impacted your own employees, whether it's their hiring or just their retention. But that's not why you're doing what you're what you're doing it because you want to alleviate 1 million women suffering, incontinence and prolapse by 2025. A specific goal. Thanks, everyone, for listening this episode, the real estate podcast for Bryon Merade, I'm Kevin Edwards asking you to go out there, align your team on a shared vision. And always folks keep it real. All right, and thanks again, folks for tuning into this episode with Bryon Merade, the founder and CEO of Caldera medical one of the companies who placed on the release hack the war that features 100 top impact companies. If you're interested in these awards interested in the companies on this list, go to real dash leaders comm slash impact dash awards, and enter in your email, you're going to be sent a free special edition with our cover story featuring miyoko chinar. In 100 examples of companies using capitalism to sustain the planet people in profits, one scam people, that's real dash leaders comm slash impact dash awards. And lastly, folks, so these interviews helping you out are you walking away inspired by and these fantastic guess? Well, we hope you are and we're gonna have a lot more on coming up here specifically in the next couple of weeks. So you want to make sure to subscribe to this podcast, where we're going to have top impact leaders helping you define what it really there is and how to become one. All right, everyone, we'd appreciate that. We love you. Goodbye.

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