Tenant Spotlight: Meet Brett Douglas, CEO at mCore Athletes

Written by Innovate New Albany@InnovateNA7 years ago

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One student dies every three days because of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), but mCore, a mobile cardiac screening and CPR training company, can provide the screenings needed to identify an athlete’s SCA risk before the unthinkable happens.

Brett Douglas, who has over 15 years of experience in the cardiac medical devices industry, started mCore in 2011 with his partner, Dr. Ken Berkovitz, MD. Dr. Berkovitz is board certified in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology and internal medicine.

mCORE provides electrocardiogram and ultrasound testing to teenage athletes at high schools, middle schools, and clubs. Results are interpreted by a board certified cardiologist and returned within five to seven business days.

What made you decide to start your business?

I had a cousin who died of sudden cardiac arrest. I also worked in the cardiac medical device industry for several years, and at every conference we went to, we heard that sudden cardiac arrest in teen athletes was an epidemic. We wanted to do something to fix that, so my partner and I put a system together to effectively screen athletes.

The results aren’t always a game changer, where kids can’t play. Sometimes there are medications they can take, devices they can use, or other things we can do to prevent heart-related issues.

What is your “secret sauce”?

Perseverance. We started this business in a new market. Parents knew it was an issue, but there was not a business doing what we wanted to do. We are building the market ourselves.

If you had one piece of advice to give a new business owner, what would it be?

Always put your customers first and the rest will come.

How has your business grown and changed since it first started?

When we first started, we were providing screenings to two or three schools a month. Now we visit 25-30 schools per month, all over the state of Ohio. We have five employees and a number of contractors and technicians who are licensed and employed by area hospitals.

We also developed the mCore Foundation in 2014, which provides free cardiac screenings for students regardless of their financial circumstances. The Foundation provides preventative heart screenings for 250-300 students each year, so there is no reason for any child not to have a screening.

How long have you been a tenant at Innovate New Albany?

3 months

What made you decide to become a tenant at Innovate New Albany?

Innovate New Albany has great office space and conference rooms. It’s also a great way to network with other business owners.

What do you love most about working/living in New Albany?

There is a real sense of community. It’s a nice community of people who have a common goal.

For more information about mCore, visit their website at www.mcoreathletes.com.

Innovate New Albany, the city’s incubator for technology startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses, features 16,000 square feet of space within the New Albany Business Park’s Signature Office Building, 8000 Walton Parkway.