HSCA TRULY OFFERS LESSON IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A significant business transaction took place in Cape Girardeau last week when Earl Norman sold his Health Services Corp. of America to MedAssets of Alpharetta, Ga., and Northbrook, Ill.

It was significant by virtue of the fact that it established MedAssets as one of the four largest group-purchasing organizations in the nation. But it also marked a significant turning point for Norman, who over 32 years built HSCA from scratch into a multimillion-dollar company that services approximately 1,700 health-care facilities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and employs about 135 people, half of them locally.

Norman started the business in a basement with just $75, calling on 10 hospitals. The growth in just three short decades is phenomenal, an accomplishment Norman can be proud of.

In 1990, HSCA formed a foundation to provide money for careers in health care. Since then, Health Careers Foundation has helped more than 3,000 students pursue health-care careers. Norman said he is proud of the foundation and happy that MedAssets has indicated it will continue it.

The story of HSCA truly is one of remarkable entrepreneurship, and the Cape Girardeau area is better off for it.