CLEAR, FOCUSED AND PREDICTABLE LEASING:

Tri-Lakes Diagnostic Technology Finds Healthy Future

BY VICTOR RIVERO

GETTING A CLEAR PICTURE of what's happening on “the inside” to save trouble later on, is the type of business that Dave Hintz had been in for some 20 years. As a sales executive in the medical equipment industry, he specialized in providing state-of-the-art diagnostic scanning and imaging machines to healthcare facilities around the country.

But the travel involved wore on him. Assisting others toward improved health as well as many companies toward financial success, he wanted to settle down in a place he could call home to enjoy time with family and friends. He decided that this would require having his own business.

Scanning the market, he sought out and discovered a diagnostic imaging center near Branson, Missouri. Although the business was struggling, it was in just the right area. A small town of roughly 10,000 people, Branson is often referred to as the Live Music Show Capital of the World. Set in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, the area’s theaters, shopping, entertainment and outdoor activities draw roughly 5 million visitors each year.

Despite high costs for imaging and scanning equipment (anywhere from $600,000 to 2 million dollars per machine) Dave knew from experience that to turn the existing facility into a prosperous venture, he must have the very latest in technology. To get it, he would need expert assistance.

Referred by a trusted source, he called on GCR Capital, a finance company that helped bring his dreams into focus and ultimately gave his fledgling Tri-Lakes Diagnostic Technology facility a clean financial bill of health with a stable and thriving future.

SEEING THROUGH THE BARRIERS

“With GCR Capital, we found solutions,” Dave says. “I wanted to get financed to improve the business.” Where other finance companies took one look and gave up, GCR Capital was able to get it funded, he says.

When he approached GCR Capital, Dave was examining the cost of the equipment he needed against his personal network of loan sources. A lot of places “wanted a longer credit history, and they look at collateral more than future business prospects,” says Dave. John Grant of GCR Capital “saw what the ability of the business was going to be to generate revenue and must have been able to convince his lending sources of the same.”

While the new corporation has flourished in little more than a single year, “the previous business was here for nearly three years and struggled,” Dave says. With initial difficulty finding funding, “My decision to go with GCR Capital was really based on their ability to get the deal done, period,” explains Dave. “I was willing to accept higher rates. But in getting these lending sources lined up, John was also helpful in finding good rates.”

“With John, there was flexibility and a willingness to do what it took. If that required breaking it up into multiple components, he was able to get it done. His ability to work hard to find a way to make it happen was impressive,” says Dave. What’s more, “John saw that it was worth trying for.”

From multi-million dollar Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners to a range of other expenses, “GCR Capital has done a great job for me in meeting all of the different aspects of the business demands,” Dave says.

BUSINESS AT A MORE COMFORTABLE LEVEL

Dave had tried a few other ways to gain financing but ran into GCR Capital fairly early in the process. How has business been ever since? “Oh, it’s improved dramatically,” says Dave. “We’ve gone from basically a tunnel type of MRI to an open system that’s much more patient-friendly.”

Previously, a patient would lie down very still and be moved into a chamber. Now, patients can move their arms around and the machine is wide open from side to side. Instead of going into a tunnel, they lay on a table. “It’s more comfortable that way,” says Dave.

With such new advanced-level machines, they provide assistance in diagnosing any type of cancer, viewing lungs, sinuses, knee and shoulder injuries from skiing accidents, brain tumors, “you name it,” says Dave, “we have the best primary diagnostic tools in medicine today.”

While Dave works the business and marketing end, his business partner Robert Hereford is an experienced technologist and does the scans and a doctor reads them. An MRI costs $1,300; CT scans vary anywhere from $500 to $900. “I saw an opportunity to make a good living and travel a whole lot less than when I was as a salesman,” Dave says.

HEALTHY, HAPPY AND ENJOYING LIFE

What sets apart the GCR Capital approach from any other finance company? Dave responds with his impressions of GCR Capital's John Grant: “One is his friendliness. He has this ability to work hard to get anything done. Hard work is what it comes down to,” says Dave.

“John’s done a great job for us. All the other people: Nicole, Tosh, all of them, they’re easy to work with. I’d recommend others to GCR Capital. It’s been fantastic. I may not have been in business today if it had not been for John. We’re ecstatic. We’ve got our equipment here and we’re doing very well. I enjoy the place I live, and enjoy providing basic care,” he says.

Lots of good shows in Branson? “Tons of them,” says Dave. “Andy Williams, Mel Tillis, The Osmonds; [singer/comedian] Ray Stevens is coming back; I’ll certainly go see him this year.”

With expert assistance from GCR Capital, it’s Dave who’ll be laughing just that much more inside when it comes to financing. It is, after all, the best medicine.

CONTACT INFO:
Dave Hintz, President
Tri-Lakes Diagnostic Technology
523 State Highway 248
Branson, Missouri
(417) 339-1579 or
(417) 332-2152