Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Redding.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am one of those rare “native Atlantans” having spent the bulk (1968 – 1981) of my youth growing up in West End Atlanta on Beecher Street. I attended E.L. Connally Elementary School and Brown High School during that time period.
Having established a firm love and foundation of science and mathematics, upon graduating from Brown High in 1981, I decided to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
After obtaining my Chemical Engineering degree in 1985, I left Atlanta to accept a job with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio as a Chemical Process Development Engineer.
Longing to return back to the Atlanta area, I left Goodyear in 1988, and accepted a job as a Process Engineer with Ethicon, Inc. a Johnson & Johnson Company in Cornelia Georgia. My career with J&J allowed me to see various parts of the world and come to appreciate the myriad of cultures that exist.
It was at J&J, that I honed my business acumen and knowledge of healthcare and medical devices. My time with J&J spanned 23 years (1988 – 2011) and yielded great success for me both personally and professionally. I met my wife of 27 years while working in Cornelia and my son was born in El Paso, TX while I was working in Juarez, Mexico in 2000. We also lived in Shanghai, China from 2004 – 2007, where I was responsible for facilities in India and China. In 2010, I was promoted to VP of Global Operations for Mentor, a new acquisition for J&J at the time. In this role, I had responsibilities for operating sites in the U.S., The Netherlands, France and Mauritius.
During my time abroad, it increased my sensitivity to the global need for health and human services and prepared me for my next career challenge when I made the decision to return back to Atlanta and joined MedShare as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2012.
I served as COO for two years before being named President and CEO by the MedShare Board of Trustees in May 2014. As COO, I was responsible for all three of MedShare’s locations including, Operations, Distribution, Biomed Training & Services, Programs, and Procurement. I was honored to lead the company’s efforts to expand into the Northeast United States by opening a Sorting and Collection Center in Secaucus, New Jersey which served the New York Metropolitan Area.
Today, I am CEO & President of a very innovative nonprofit (MedShare) focused on improving the quality life of people and our planet, with operations in the Atlanta, San Francisco and New York Metropolitan Areas.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While working in China, we coined the phrase “Everything is possible, but nothing is easy.” Like most things in life worth having, they are only obtained through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. During my career, I have lived and worked in Georgia, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Mexico and China; and, managed facilities in Arizona, Wisconsin, The Netherlands, France, India and Mauritius. This constant change has caused me to uproot my family and really work outside my comfort zone. These experiences have also help shape my global perspective and adaptability.
Please tell us about MedShare.
MedShare is a 501c (3) humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people, communities and our planet by sourcing and directly delivering surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world.
MedShare helps increase health system capacity and drives sustainability by providing biomedical equipment training and service to healthcare organizations and medical professionals serving populations in need.
MedShare’s deliveries of vital medical supplies and equipment have decreased our nation’s carbon footprint and brought health, healing and the promise of better lives to 100 countries and countless patients.
I am most proud that I get to work and give back to a community that I love and help others around the world. Since the company’s founding in 1998, MedShare has:
Donated: Over $200 million in humanitarian aid
Served: Over 100 countries and territories
Equipped: Over 700,000 healthcare professionals with supplies and equipment
Treated: Over 19 million patients
Trained: Over 6,000 technicians, engineers and end-users
Engaged: Over 20,000 volunteers in the U.S. per year
Contact Info:
- Address: 3240 Clifton Springs Road
- Website: www.medshare.org
- Phone: 7703235858
- Email: info@medshare.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medshareofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedShareMission/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/medshare
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/medshare-decatur
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
