Glenn Balasky
About this Executive:
Name:
Glenn Balasky
Company:
The Zangmeister Center
Interview Topics:
Healthcare
Region:
Region 1 - Central Ohio
The Zangmeister Center (www.zangcenter.com) is an amazing outpatient resource for patients with cancer and blood disorders. It helps patients dealing with difficult health challenges get easier access to medical expertise by providing a full range of services including oncology care, clinical trial access, treatment and prevention as well as patient advocacy. The Center is an innovative approach to helping improve the quality of life for patients.
Glenn Balasky, Executive Director, has a professional aspiration of leveraging his healthcare business experience to enable The Zangmeister Center to fully realize the dream of setting the "gold standard" in comfort and convenience of medical care for oncology patients. Glenn moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2004. As I talked with Glenn, I was struck by his passion for making a difference in the lives of others and how that included not only oncology patients, but also his family.
Q: Glenn, in Ohio we promise executives that they and their employees can achieve their personal and professional aspirations without having to trade one for the other. Everything you need to build your business is available here in Ohio, but business success is delivered in the context of a fulfilling life. Is this promise consistent with your experience?
A: I think it is. As a businessperson, you are dependent upon a variety of other services and the business community as a whole. I think this is an area where Ohio excels. There is everything you could possibly need as far as supporting services, from accounting, legal, construction, transportation and so on. All those services are more than readily available and easy to access.
Q: If an executive outside Ohio in the healthcare field were to ask you if they should consider Ohio for capital investment, what would your counsel be?
A: I'd tell them this is a place where you are going to be able to plug-in very easily. There are professional networks and companies eager to help and have a great track record in doing so. I think the excellent transportation infrastructure is a hidden secret for Ohio. It is not New York City or Chicago, and that is what makes it good. It is easy to get in and out of Ohio. That is good for transportation of goods and services as well as business travel. I'd also point out that the pace of life is not as hectic as the large and crazy cities. People aren't spending an hour and a half commuting to and from work. There is less stress in life as it relates to running a business.
Q: It sounds like in Ohio you have the gift of time to devote to achieving your personal aspirations. How does that play out in your life?
A: I used to live in Chicago, where getting from one place to another was neither convenient nor efficient. It was also stressful. Now I have a short commute. At work I have more time to devote to quality thought which leads to better business decisions. At home I have the opportunity to see my children off to school and attend my son's ball games. I am not as stressed out when I get home, so the time I spend with my family is better quality time. My wife and I believe sitting down and having dinner as a family is very important, and in Ohio I am able to do that consistently.
Q: Do you find Ohio offers you enough opportunities to do things as a family?
A: Absolutely. Ohio is centrally located and you can easily hop in the car and explore some wonderful outdoor activities. I recently took my family to Grand Lake St. Mary's State Park. It was a great location with a 13,500-acre lake, hiking trails and a lot of fun things to do. Within a two-hour drive I can go skiing in the winter, go boating, go hiking in the woods or jump on a plane and visit any resort I want. Flights from Columbus are reasonably priced and the airport is not the hassle of an O'Hare or LaGuardia. My family and I have yet to run out of things to do or places to explore.