Monday Meeting Q&A with CEO/president of Choice Medical Centers Boca Raton, FL

March 3, 2014 - PRLog -- Gary Brown is CEO/president of Choice Medical Centers, which provide rehabilitation services across South Florida for injuries sustained in auto accidents, sports or on the job.

Brown says his firm is anticipating the changing state law that governs personal injury insurance by offering the services of several specialties under one umbrella.

A serial entrepreneur, Brown first visited Florida on vacation in 1976. Here, he connected with friends in the music business and found work as a drummer.

“I decided that I didn’t want to be lugging drums around looking for someplace to play when I was 50 years old,” he said.

So he took the job that he said provided his best training: selling cars.

“Eventually, I decided I didn’t want to be 50 years old standing around a hot car lot,” he said.

A janitorial business and chains of optical stores and pizza restaurants followed.

When his brother completed chiropractic school, Brown got involved in medical centers. They opened their first clinic in Largo and were partners until the mid-1990s.

Today, Brown’s business has transitioned to an orthopedic and physical medicine practice.

One of Choice Medical’s newest locations is in Palm Beach Gardens. Others in Palm Beach County include centers in Boynton Beach and Boca Raton.

Name: Gary Brown

Age: 57

Education: One semester at Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts, where I learned that I didn’t want to be a music teacher.

Hometown: I grew up in Brooklyn, NY.

Family: Wife and a 5-year-old puppy rescued from the pound.

About your company: Choice Medical Centers has about 70 employees and a caseload of 1,500 a month.

First paying job and what you learned from it: As a shoe shiner, I learned that hard work and determination pays off.

Best business book:The Art of the Deal, by Donald Trump

Best piece of business advice you ever received: I had the occasion to be friendly with a gentleman who was several times voted Harvard Businessman of the Year. He told me there is no such things as the top.

What you tell young people about your business: Run an open honest, transparent, business so that your business relationships respect you and are comfortable dealing with you because of your reputation.

Many successful people learn from failure. Do you have a failure you can share and what you learned from it? I got involved with a chain of retail pharmacies and relied on my partner’s expertise even though he was from another market. Although he was extremely successful in the New York market, his business model failed miserably in Florida. So what I learned was that you need to understand your market.

What do you see ahead for Palm Beach County? I see Palm Beach County becoming a technology and service center in addition to be a world class destination.

Power lunch spot: Abe & Louie’s, Boca Raton

Where we would find you when you’re not at the office: Spending time with my family, fishing and traveling

Favorite smartphone app: Dialer app. It searches for contacts from the phone’s keypad.

What is the most important trait you look for when hiring? Strong work ethic.