It started with a hallway question inside a hospital: Why are unopened surgical products headed for the trash when another facility could use them? Randy Ware, founder and chief executive officer of West Coast Medical Resources, turned that question into a business that treats surplus as an asset and patient care as the point.
Ware saw the pattern everywhere—brand changes and formulary shifts leaving shelves full of perfectly good sutures, implants and kits. He picked up the phone, called materials managers, surgeons and manufacturers, and proved a simple premise. Health systems should be able to sell unused inventory and buy vetted product at a fair discount. In 1997 he launched West Coast Medical Resources with one aim: reduce device waste while helping providers save money and operate efficiently.
Trust came next. Ware built processes for traceability, quality assurance and compliance so hospitals could participate with confidence. As the platform grew, partners learned they could recapture value without compromising standards. What used to be an expensive burden became a supply option that supports operating rooms and budgets alike. The company matured from a one-person effort into a leader in the secondary market for surgical goods by staying disciplined about what matters—safety, speed and service.
Culture mirrors the mission. West Coast Medical Resources is intentionally in person because accountability and relationships matter when lives are on the line. The organization prizes initiative, inclusion, participation and productivity. Training keeps teams sharp on regulation and logistics. Cross-functional collaboration speeds decisions so the right product reaches the right suite at the right time.
Under Ware’s leadership the company has donated millions to nonprofits and community efforts, with total charitable giving on track to surpass $5 million. Stewardship shows up in purchase orders and in philanthropy because both serve the same idea—use resources wisely so communities benefit.
The road ahead is clear. West Coast Medical Resources will extend leadership in surplus medical products and expand in preowned equipment. Partnerships are growing across Europe, Canada and Latin America. Advocacy will elevate awareness around healthcare waste and resource optimization so more systems adopt responsible practices. Sustainability remains the core principle—nothing should go to waste when patients need care and budgets are tight.
A Titan 100 Honoree, Ware stands out for changing behavior at scale. Recognition such as the Amplify Clearwater founder award and Amplify’s business excellence award reflects business excellence while honors from organizations like the Children’s Dream Fund speak to impact beyond the warehouse. The title matters less to him than the results that follow—fewer dumpsters behind hospitals, stronger pricing for providers and a supply chain that feels smarter and more humane.
Ware measures success in quiet scenes: a case cart ready without overspend, a clinic able to extend services because dollars stretched further, a nonprofit lifted by a check funded from running a better business. That is how an idea becomes a durable enterprise and how a marketplace turns waste into care.