Local David Takes On Medical Imaging Goliaths
Value and Service Help Sanford’s Omega Medical Imaging Slay the Competition
When a customer wants to modify one of his or her medical imaging machines, salespeople for Omega Medical Imaging don’t have to call anyone in China; everything’s done in Sanford, Fla. “A hospital will ask, ‘Can you do this? Can you do that?” Omega President Brian Fleming said. “Yes, we can do that, and we can do it a lot cheaper.” Fleming and two partners bought the company in 2010 and have grown sales 54 percent. As the U.S. economy shows signs of a slow but steady recovery, sales have suddenly risen this year. “We just got slammed with orders,” said Fleming, who last year sold 18 machines that retail for at least $500,000 each. “We’re on a hiring binge. Everything is assembled here in Florida. We’re really the only U.S. based competitor.” Omega Medical Imaging builds a machine that merges 100-year-old X-ray technology with the latest software and computer imaging technology. Using a weak X-ray beam, the fluoroscope provides an image of what is happening inside a patient’s body. The device is used by cardiologists to monitor the heart while looking for blockages, and by endoscopic doctors who monitor the digestive tract while probing with cameras