Piece by piece, Bellevue builds its presence

BELLEVUE, Wash. – There’s still a place in the marketplace for a full-service provider, says Joel Gallion, president of Bellevue Healthcare, which recently opened a new location in Liberty Lake 

“Retail is big, but obviously the fact we do complex rehab, respiratory, the retail piece, the hospice piece, it allows us to put a lot of those pieces together that current markets don’t have,” he said. “Liberty Lake specifically did not another provider (with a physical location), and that’s absolutely necessary for the retail component. As much as the online piece has grown, a lot of people want to see it, touch it and make sure it’s going to work for them.” 

The new location, Bellevue’s 21st, is 30,700 square feet of office, warehouse and retail space that will serve eastern Washington and Idaho. The company plans to open additional locations this year in Tukwila, Vancouver and Walla Walla, Wash. Last year, it opened locations in Burlington, Wash., and Eugene, Ore. 

Despite such a busy track record over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic actually forced the company in 2020 and early 2021 to temporarily pause plans it already had on the table and even now, its navigating ripple effects, says Gallion. 

“We’re trying to figure out the supply chain issues, we’re paying more for equipment now, labor costs more,” he said. “We need to think through things and take advantage of opportunities as they are there. It’s trial and error, but we make the best decisions we can.”  

Even as the company grows its footprint, it always aims to maintain a “local feel,” says Gallion. 

“We have a service first mentality and that transcends through every touchpoint whether onsite or online chat or calling customer service,” he said. “That allows us to be community-based based and community-focused. I feel all the communities we serve can differentiate us (compared to) a national competitor.”