PEOPLE
Bellwether League Foundation names Bellwether Class of 2021 honorees Bellwether League Foundation’s (Schaumburg, IL) Hall of Fame for Healthcare
Jacob J. Groenewold was integral in
Supply Chain Leadership elected nine professionals, hailed as innovators, leaders, trail-
expanding traditional healthcare materials
blazers and visionaries for their industry contributions and performance, as honorees of
management operations to such non-
the Bellwether Class of 2021.
traditional areas as capital equipment and laboratory as far back as the 1980s. He codeveloped one of the first hospital-based supply chain consulting and outsourcing services in the nation as well as one of the earliest hospital-based consolidated service centers that later was acquired by a leading distributor. Groenewold has hired, developed, trained, mentored and supervised hundreds of healthcare supply chain consultants, professionals and leaders for several decades and created one of
Bellwether League Foundation’s
John M. Burks (1954-2017) may have
the first GPO supply chain benchmarking
Board and Advisory Council selected
been known as a conceptualizing
programs in the industry.
these professionals for their achieve-
marketer, specializing in developing
ments and contributions in the delivery
complex selling messages and building
Thomas P. Harvieux epitomizes the pro-
of quality care through efficient and
name brand recognition for healthcare
gressive strategic and tactical supply chain
innovative supply chain operations.
organizations, but he also served as an
leader who builds or reconstructs operations
The organization says the electees
instrumental evangelist for electronic
holistically from the ground up, something
“represent creative thinkers who take
commerce adoption and implementa-
he has accomplished at a hospital within one
the initiative, expand the boundaries of
tion, extolling its inherent value. Fur-
award-winning health system and then at
what’s possible, and perform in a way
ther, Burks advocated for the creation
two prominent multistate integrated delivery
that improves and promotes the profes-
and use of e-commerce standards
networks (IDNs). At all three organizations,
sion of supply chain management among
as a founding board member of the
Harvieux initiated and led the centraliza-
hospitals, group purchasing organiza-
Coalition for Healthcare eStandards
tion of supply chain services and effective
tions (GPOs), manufacturers and dis-
(CHeS). He played leading roles in
linkages with clinical information systems.
tributors, consulting firms, educational
launching the successful e-commerce
At BJC HealthCare, he established supply
institutions and media properties.”
program of one of the nation’s larg-
chain initiatives that led to more than $150
Bellwether League Foundation’s Board
est group purchasing organizations
million in expense reduction spanning a
of Directors selected the following pro-
as well as that GPO’s private-label
two-year period. He also orchestrated a
fessionals for the 14th Bellwether Class:
purchasing program.
central distribution program managed by a
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September 2021 | The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
