Relentless: Spartan Medical’s mission to support veterans

Most companies only pay lip service to social causes. A small percentage of others actually make a positive impact on the causes they support. And then there’s Spartan Medical®. The determination to make a difference on important issues, especially veterans causes, is a part of the company’s DNA.

Spartan Medical® was founded in 2008 by Vince Proffitt, a former Air Force Intelligence Officer, to provide the best products and services to America’s wounded warriors and veterans by supplying an extensive portfolio of advanced medical devices and technologies from premier partners to meet the needs of surgeons at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). With 44% of its workforce having served in the military, Spartan Medical® truly embodies the spirit and intent of “Veterans First.”

“I started Spartan Medical® to improve patient care and outcomes, because we, and our loved ones, will all be patients one day,” said Vince Proffitt. “We are a veteran-owned business that hires veterans, supports veteran causes, and we treat every veteran and wounded warrior the same way we treated our brothers and sisters on active-duty.”

To further advance that mission, in 2018, Spartan Medical® established the Proffitt Brothers Foundation®, which is the charitable arm of the company. It was founded to honor the vision and mission of Greg Proffitt, Vince’s brother and Spartan Medical’s Vice President & General Counsel, who passed far too young on May 21^st, 2018. The foundation’s mission is to “Make things that should matter, matter™” by raising money and awareness for nonprofits who are on the front lines making a positive impact on the communities they serve.

In just its first three years, the Proffitt Brothers Foundation® has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to no less than twelve nonprofits. Then came America’s tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“After twenty years of war in Afghanistan, America’s veterans, service members and their families are worried that their sacrifices were in vain. So, I directed the Proffitt Brothers Foundation® to organize as quickly as possible a two-day event to demonstrate to America’s warriors and their families that they have a sea of support and we honor their sacrifice,” explained Vince Proffitt.

So, Vince and the team at the Proffitt Brothers Foundation® compressed ten months of planning and organizing into forty days. Then, with two days to go and on track to hold a successful event, a “seven-year storm” flooded the event location. But instead of cancelling, Vince postponed the event to the following weekend and the Spartan Medical® family stepped up to help in every way possible.

The American Heroes Benefit and Festival was held on Friday, November 5^th and Saturday, November 6^th. The beneficiaries of the two-day event were four nonprofits that support veterans by providing comfort and camaraderie through sailboat racing and other water sports. The Spartan Medical® team and the Proffitt Brothers Foundation® completed its mission.

“Figuring out ‘a way’, despite the potential obstacles in place, is what our military does, and it’s what we do here at Spartan Medical®,” said Craig Schad, Director of National Government Accounts for Spartan Medical®.

In the face of overwhelming challenges, the team at Spartan Medical® and its charitable arm, the Proffitt Brothers Foundation®, never gave up and “figured out a way,” regardless of any obstacles or challenges. That’s because Spartan Medical’s mission to support veterans is much more than lip service. As Vince consistently reinforces a Spartan guiding principle borrowed from General Patton, “if we do our full duty, the rest will take care if itself.” And PBF would like to borrow another quote from Frank Sinatra…’the best is yet to come!’