Business Spotlight: Combat Medical Systems

Combat Medical Systems

Owners: Corey Russ, Shane Bobbitt and Jessica Perkins

Founded: February 2008

Location: 6441 Yadkin Road

No. of employees: 13

What it does: Helps partner companies develop tactical medical supplies geared toward the military, much of the time in exchange for product distribution rights.

How did you get into this business? "I had worked - me and Shane - in special operations. I was a medical combat developer. In that position, we had a lot of contact with industry, obviously, and I had about 15 years as a Special Forces medic on the ground. We kind of continued that. Shane was previously the project manager for the Army's original hemostatic dressing."

Did you see yourselves as filling a niche? "I think the real niche for us is we like to partner with what we call smart companies. There are a lot of companies that have great technology but don't understand the military market. We take our personal knowledge and location near Fort Bragg and we help optimize their technology for the military. All our partner companies are great companies, but we help them achieve better results. In most cases, we exchange that with distributorship."

How many partner companies do you have? "It fluctuates. At various levels, we have as many as 25 companies we work with."

Are there any products you're particularly proud of? "Our partner Jessica had worked previously for Z-Medica. They have a product line, QuikClot, which is used to prevent life-threatening hemorrhage. In the last year, we've worked close with them to take it through testing and safety testing with the Army. Right now, we're DoD's hemorrhage control dressing for all four services. We have just over a million units in theater. ... It's used in every soldier's individual field kit, and every squad kit, medical kit and vehicle kit." The product is Combat Gauze.

What is your assessment of opportunities for former specialized soldiers? "I think it's huge. I think Fort Bragg is a great location to foster that, and in many ways, Fort Bragg has become the catalyst for a lot of new development."

You could have located in D.C. or elsewhere. Why here? "Most military medical companies set up in Maryland around Fort Detrick, where procurement happens. Our company's model ... we focus on what soldiers need, and that requires us to be near Fort Bragg and where the experience is."

Is there risk in modeling a business that's tied to current world events? "I think that's just business in general. ... I do think that one thing that will be unique going forward after 9/11, particularly with medical, I don't think this country or the military or Department of Defense is ever going back to that peacetime mind-set. I think at very large program levels, we may decide to not buy fighter jets or something, but at the unit level that's on call to deploy on short notice, they're going to support the soldier with the best medical equipment they can get."

What advice would you offer to a start-up? "Two things for sure: Think ahead, prepare. We started preparing this idea about two years before I got out (of the service). There was a lot of preparing in that; switching from the military mind-set to the business mind-set takes some energy. And don't underestimate what you're capable of. You have 20 years of experience in the military. That's significant. That's knowledge and expertise that a lot of companies are looking for."