McKnight’s, a leading news source for the senior care industry, hosted its third annual Pinnacle Awards celebration on March 20 in Chicago to recognize industry veterans who are setting new standards, driving change and inspiring others. Brad Mariam, Medline’s executive vice president of non-acute care sales was one of five 2025 Pinnacle recipients in the “Marketplace Influencer” category for his contributions in moving the sector forward and helping facility operators enhance their care through clinical and financial solutions from Medline.

The Medline Newsroom caught up with Mariam to discuss the McKnight’s honor, his path into the senior care industry and where he sees opportunities for growth in the sector.

Medline Newsroom: First, congratulations on being a Pinnacle Award recipient, which is obviously a significant moment for you and for Medline.

Brad Mariam: It is significant – and it’s an honor to be recognized as a Marketplace Influencer. This isn’t just about me, though. It’s a testament to our entire company’s commitment to the senior care industry, and it creates further momentum to partner with healthcare providers who support our most vulnerable population.

Newsroom: How did you find yourself moving in this direction in your career?

Mariam: I started in healthcare just over 20 years ago and have been with Medline more than half of that time. After being in the field calling on hospitals and then transitioning to nursing homes, home health and hospice in California, I had the opportunity in 2017 to move to Chicago to become a post-acute care sales leader, focused on evolving Medline’s position in the market. In 2022, I took over leading Medline’s post-acute care business, and as of this January, I’m now in my current role over all non-acute care, leading our nursing home, physician office, urgent care, surgery center, home health and hospice agencies, HME and health plans business. There’s tremendous opportunity in non-acute care as more patients receive care outside of hospitals. And gaining the experience I’ve had at Medline has given me tremendous perspective on how we can use the lessons we’ve learned in each market to provide clinical and operational expertise to help our customers become more efficient.

Newsroom: Tell us more about that expertise. What kind of mark are we making in senior care, and what are you excited about as Medline continues to support the sector?

Mariam: Our long-term care business supports care within the four walls of a skilled nursing or assisted living facility, and our homecare business serves home health and hospice, HME and health plans. To support the needs of customers across all care points, we are continuing to invest in people, products, infrastructure and training.

For example, as the population continues to age and we see the prevalence of incontinence increase, we have looked at new ways to help nursing homes manage that issue. Technology is having a positive influence on navigating brief size selection and alerting caregivers to when it’s time for a patient to have a brief change. Recent technology Medline has invested in includes FitRight® CONNECT™ Wetness Sensing System, which combines special briefs, a sensor pod and real-time alerts to provide data on residents’ voiding patterns, including the time each wetness event occurred, the amount of time residents spent in each brief and the amount of time before a clean brief was applied. We also introduced the FitRight® Navigator, which gives caregivers visibility on where brief oversizing is happening by providing personalized product and sizing recommendations for each resident.

Additionally, we take great pride in the relationships our sales team builds on a local level. Our sales representatives are spread out across the country, and being positioned near customers gives us the unique ability to form deeper relationships with our customers. They trust us and know we understand their needs.

Newsroom: The homecare business is a growing area for Medline. How are you trying to broaden Medline’s role as a supplier toward more consumers who wish to receive care at home?

Mariam: As customers and their patients expect to receive products quicker, we have maintained our focus on our ability to deliver next day to 95% of U.S. customers. This has been achieved by our vast distribution network of 45 distribution centers in the U.S. and our owned transportation fleet of more than 2,000 MedTrans trucks and parcel vans. To create efficiencies in areas where we don’t use our MedTrans fleet, which includes customers’ homes and other types of locations in the non-acute space, we have long-term relationships with third-party parcel companies to help us ship to commercial and residential customers throughout the country.

Additionally, we are constantly looking at new ways to invest in automation at our distribution facilities. Recent purchasing trends have enhanced the need for lowest-unit-of-measure orders to help us deliver directly to patients’ homes the next day. Medline was the first company in the U.S. to adopt the AutoStore robotic order fulfillment solution. We have 20-plus AutoStore installations with more than1,800 robots. This technology helps Medline quickly and efficiently process orders to achieve next-day delivery.

Newsroom: What lasting impression do you want people to have about Medline’s commitment to senior care?

Mariam: It is important to not take things for granted. Healthcare is constantly evolving. Our customers often need to look at new ways to solve old problems. I want people to know we are dedicated to forming deeper relationships with our customers to understand their needs. Our goal is to think outside the box of just moving boxes and providing supplies toward helping deliver improved clinical, financial and operational outcomes for our customers.

Learn more about all the different points of care Medline serves.