Carl Kozlowski’s ‘full circle’ moment at Repair Authority 

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio – With his experience working on advanced electronics for the military and engineering and installing CT and MRI scanners for a med device company, Carl Kozlowski, the new CEO of Repair Authority, is very comfortable in a technical service environment. 

“I understand sourcing parts and improving turnaround time, and the importance of the customer,” he said. “It’s like I’ve come full circle – this brings me back to that.” 

Here’s what Kozlowski, who more recently served as CEO of Cardiothoracic & Surgical Associates, had to say about his first impressions of the HME industry and Repair Authority’s roadmap for growth. 

HME News: At Repair Authority, you’re charged with the company’s growth strategy. How were you able to grow Cardiothoracic & Surgical Associates? 

Carl Kozlowski: At Cardiothoracic & Surgical Associates, we acquired a banking center and built our own ambulatory surgical center. We hired more doctors and secured more contracts. I like the challenge of growing a company. I’m not a good gardener – don’t bring me in to take the weeds down – but if you want me to grow a company, through both organic and acquisition (activity), through adding product lines and through working your way up the food chain, that’s me. That’s what I’ve been able to do throughout my career. 

HME: While you have extensive health care experience, this is your first role in HME, specifically. What are some of your first impressions? 

Kozlowski: The demand is incredible. I knew a little bit about HME (through association with the other companies I’ve worked for), in that it was a tough industry from a payment perspective. But what most strikes me is the demand out there that really exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic and that hasn’t really subsided too much and the fractured nature of the (biomedical services industry). There's no single HME repair company that's big enough to offer a fully national platform, so there's a challenge and an opportunity to fill that need for large providers. 

HME: What’s one of your goals for Repair Authority’s growth from the outset? 

Kozlowski: I think we’re well positioned, with a couple of large facilities, to increase our capacity to meet increased demand without moving or picking up stakes. That’s our No. 1 job: increasing the production of our current workforce and adding to that workforce and putting the infrastructure in place so our techs can do their work. We also want to look at our product mix and focus on areas where we see opportunities, and work through any backlogs.