Join us as we interview Joseph Zapolsky, the International Sales Director for Erchonia. As one of Erchonia’s first employees, Joseph brings a unique perspective on HOW and WHY Erchonia has become the preeminent organization for LLLT, worldwide. Go behind the scenes with Joseph as he tells his professional and personal stories.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-zapolsky-iii-24b1b342/
Transcript
Dr. Chad Woolner: Hey, what’s going on everybody? Dr. Chad Woolner here with Dr. Andrew Wells. And this is episode 25 of The Laser Light Show. And on today’s episode we have with us our good friend, Joseph Sapolsky from Erchonia, and we’re going to be chatting with him about his experience and go from there. So let’s get started.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I used to love going to laser light shows at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. They would put on these amazing light shows with incredible designs synced up to some of my favorite music. From the Beatles to Pink Floyd to Jimmy Hendrix and Metallica; they were awesome. Little did I know then that lasers would have such a profound effect on my life decades later. As a chiropractic physician, I have seen first-hand just how powerful laser therapy is in helping patients struggling with a wide range of health problems. As the leader in laser therapy, Erchonia has pioneered the field in obtaining 20 of the 23 total FDA clearances for therapeutic application of lasers. On this podcast, we’ll explore the science and technology and physiology behind what makes these tools so powerful. Join me as we explore low level laser therapy. I’m Dr. Chad Woolner along with my good friend Dr. Andrew Wells and welcome to The Laser Light Show.
All right, welcome to the show everybody. And welcome, Andrew and Joseph.
Dr. Andrew Wells: Good to be here. Hey, Joseph, how’s it going?
Joseph Zapolsky: Hey, it’s going great. So happy to finally get to get on an episode and do the podcast with you guys. Obviously, as you know, it’s been a big passion project of mine since we kicked this off. So now to be one of the people that are participating. I couldn’t be more excited.
Dr. Andrew Wells: Yeah, just to give the listeners a little bit of context here. We started this podcast really after meeting Joseph and his team at the Parker seminar in Las Vegas. That was really, for Chad and I, one of our first real exposure to low level laser therapy. And, Erchonia really stood out as the front runner in, you know, between all the different companies and people. Not only talking about the benefits of low level laser therapy, but also for people in like the red light therapy space. And so we got a crash course on–we actually just did a recent episode on this couple episodes ago with Dr. Kirk Gair on, you know, the myths and misconceptions about laser therapy.
And we really, Erchonia really sucked us in to their, to what they’re doing in a good way. And we were really impressed with what they’re doing. And so, Joseph, we have you to thank for that because you’re the one who really helped us take our idea of creating The Laser Light Show and spreading the word and the message about low level laser therapy not only to practitioners, but also to patients. It’s cool, we get a lot of patients who listen to this podcast as well. So my hat to you, Joseph, for helping us get this set up.
Joseph Zapolsky: My pleasure. It’s one of those things where God works in mysterious ways. But the timing was absolutely perfect. Because David Tucek, who’s my counterpart here, he does domestic sales, directing, and I do international sales directing, we knew we had to get into the podcast arena, because it’s such a medium now that everybody’s consuming. And it’s such a great way for people to learn about your products, your services.
But from a time management standpoint, we just couldn’t figure out a way to host it and get it done ourselves. And lo and behold, you guys reached out to us through the Erchonia website, like you said, we were able to meet up in Parker Vegas, which is always a fun meeting that Parker University puts on, great way to collaborate with people, make connections. And that got the ball rolling. And now here we are, I think 25 episodes in, we got more episodes planned that you guys are recording right now, not only in the next couple of weeks, but at our annual business meeting. So it’s full steam ahead. And I hope that we put together a product that, like you said, doctors, practitioners, the general public is very happy and excited to hear.
Dr. Chad Woolner: And it’s been a lot of fun, man. And it’s really cool to see just how far this has come in such a short period of time. And yeah, it’s been great.
But so Joseph, we’ve known you for a little while now. But for those who are listening, do you want to give kind of a quick snapshot of your, not only your experience with Erchonia but maybe life pre-Erchonia and your story?
Joseph Zapolsky: Yeah, I would love to. So my current position here at Erchonia now is International Sales Director. Like I had mentioned, I work with David Tucek, who is one of our founders’ sons, and he does domestic sales. But him and I have been joined at the hip running the sales department for coming up on six years now. And just about two years ago, the international arena came under our umbrella as well. So day in and day out, David and I are directing our sales team, both domestically and internationally.
We do have a European office, you guys have done podcasts with several people from that office. And then throughout the other regions of the world, where Erchonia is present, we have distributors.
So day in and day out, a lot of my interaction is coordinating things with these distributors, seeing how to help them get the lasers into different markets. And then once they’re in those markets, how do we showcase the lasers? How do we get into congresses and trade shows in the areas? And how do we educate their doctors? As you guys know, through this podcast, through our seminars, education’s very important to us. So we try to bring that same program to other countries around the world. So doctors can see the differences of low level lasers, and what they can truly do to help people.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Yeah, that has got to be such…Number one, like, I don’t want to say overwhelming, but maybe it is a bit overwhelming. I mean, for crying out loud. You’re like literally responsible for lasers in the entire world for this company. I mean, that’s, that’s got to…Well, I guess the question right off the top of my head is, what’s that growth look like for you? Because how long have you been with the company?
Joseph Zapolsky: So the growth is unbelievable. We have now been reaching out to all these different areas. And at this point, we’re represented in 48 different countries.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Holy cow.
Joseph Zapolsky: As far as myself, the growth has been really fun because I’ve been with the company 20 years now. And when I started, we were renting four little garage spaces at a business park in Arizona, hoping to make a few sales a month and keep things going; to now you know, 20 years later, being a worldwide entity and getting to do a podcast, connect with some famous people getting to travel other countries. I could have never imagined as a 20-year-old kid building our handheld adjusting instruments in a rented garage all those years ago.
Dr. Chad Woolner: That’s amazing. That’s absolutely incredible. So 20 years, what were you doing before that?
Joseph Zapolsky: So before that, I had finished high school. And I moved out to Arizona where the company was located at that time. And I was just doing young man’s work that I could make good money. Work in swing shift, or graveyard shift. You know, driving forklifts, picking up heavy boxes – things you could earn a good living at that time.
Now, I don’t think I could be picking up those heavy boxes. But I was very fortunate because our owner and president Steve Shanks, he’s our other founder along with David’s dad; I met his nephew in seventh grade. So I’ve actually known the families that own Erchonia for much longer than those 20 years, coming up on 30 years now.
And when I was in Arizona working those warehouse jobs, Erchonia was just starting to get some traction. So David’s dad, Kevin, had known me. I always hung out around the family. And he said, Hey, I can get you some part-time work if you want to make some extra money as a young man. Of course, I was like, “Yeah, let’s do it!”
So I’d work my swing shift or my graveyard shift. And then I come into Erchonia, about three days a week, four hours a day, doing some sub assemblies and part-time assembly work. And within about six months, he said, “Okay, we got enough work now to get you full time.” So I quit my other job, started with Erchonia full time. And here we are 20 years later, and they always afforded me the opportunity to grow. So I stuck with the company and Lord willing, this is my first real job, if you will, and my last job ever.
Dr. Chad Woolner: That’s amazing.
Dr. Andrew Wells: That also speaks to it. And for people who know Erchonia, they know what I’m saying is true. That story is also representative of Erchonia as a whole, as a company.
And we had this conversation a little bit with Dr. Kirk Gair a couple episodes ago, and talking about how a lot of different device and laser companies seemed to like pop up on the market and then go away. They’re like they’re here, they’re there. And the one thing that I can say and having now met a lot of Erchonia employees is they’re a very long term focused organization; not just with their products, but with the people that work there. And it’s no surprise when you look at all the research that’s been done for laser therapy is pretty much all Erchonia research that the other companies cite. And I think it’s just because Erchonia seems to understand that there’s incredible value in long term strategic goals, and not just looking at getting sales, you know, getting lasers in offices and producing, you know, producing, yeah, just selling equipment. They’re really focused on changing an industry, the healthcare industry. And they’ve done that.
And so to hear, you know, you hear these stories of employees like “I’ve been here for 15 years or 20 years” or “Yeah, I knew them for when I was in seventh grade, for heaven’s sake.” Like, it just goes to show you where Erchonia stands and what they value and their ethics and their principles and why they create the best products on the market.
And so when people say, like, “Well, why can I buy…Why should I get an Erchonia laser versus this other laser that’s maybe less expensive? Or kind of looks the same? Or whatever?” And the answer is always “Well, when you’re lasering someone’s brain, or as some part of your patient’s body, don’t you want to know that what you’re using on them is not like some fly by night company, and that the company that made this thing that you’re putting on your patients is the real thing?”
And that’s what like, when, when Chad and I were at that Las Vegas Parker seminar, that was what we noticed, like, wow, like, why would we, you know, if we’re going to promote a laser company, there was no other option for us. It’s like, yeah, that was pretty clear. And so I love that story. And that, and we heard your story, too, when we were in Las Vegas. And that was also with Penny Sneed, same thing. She has been there for like, 20 some years. That’s really cool. That’s really cool. Thanks for sharing that.
Dr. Chad Woolner: So, Joseph, my other question for you. I’ve got lots of questions. But since you’ve been there the entire time, you’ve seen not only tremendous growth from the business side of things, but no doubt, you’ve seen tremendous growth from the research side from the, you know, kind of clinical side of things. What would you say, is one of or maybe multiple things, in terms of accomplishments that you’ve seen that have been some of the most remarkable to you, maybe like one of those things where “Man, I would have never thought we had accomplished XYZ?” What are some of those accomplishments as a company that you’ve seen, again, predominantly from the clinical research side of things?
Joseph Zapolsky: On the research side, the thing that really stands out to me the most is how many FDA clearances we have been able to garner over my time at the company. And that speaks to how many different indications for use that the lasers have been proven through level one clinical trials to be effective on. When I started here, we’re working with a single diode red laser, it had an old school egg timer that you’d literally turn to the right and listen to it ticking back to the left as it’s treating, but we were going for neck and shoulder pain. And it’s like, okay, we had seen some different things before we proved it through a study that this would work for that application. But now all these years later to not only prove that out, but to see all these different things we’ve been able to treat, you know, a few examples, chronic low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, acne onychomycosis, non-invasive fat loss, that, to me has really been the wow factor. And if I would have looked at it from all those years ago, and go, we’d be here now, with all these indications and things that we’ve proven the lasers can help people with, I would have never thunk it.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Yeah, that’s got to be again, like, I’m just trying to put myself in your shoes at that time, like saying, this is cool. Yeah, this laser is helping with, you know, pain, right? Which I think, again, at least for me, from where I’m coming from, before really getting to know Erchonia, what they were doing. I kind of like my attitude was kind of like, yeah, yeah, I know, low levels, they help with, you know, musculoskeletal pain, which I shouldn’t be dismissive of, because that in and of itself, is truly a miracle, especially in light of the, you know, opioid epidemic and crisis that we’re seeing right in front of us play out with, you know, all this garbage that’s out there. What a powerful way to help kind of pave the way to showing people a far superior way to solving that problem. But the crazy part is all of a sudden, you know, over that span of time, you’re seeing the application of these lasers in so many other realms and ways. And so the other question kind of hand in hand with that is, what do you foresee coming down the pipeline in terms of the future of lasers? What you know, this is in a span of 20 years. Or what do you see in the next 20 years? Or what do you hope to see in the next 20 years?
Joseph Zapolsky: I think you hit the nail on the head when you talked about the opioid epidemic. As a company, what I hope for and what we see is looking at the current situations where this country, or countries around the world have an epidemic. Have a real problem to deal with. And we may have a way with lasers to help that. And do so in a completely non-invasive, pain free, drug free way.
And I think one of the things that we’re the most passionate about and where we’d like to see the company go, as we work into the future, is when it comes to brain based applications. So we’ll be looking at research as far as Alzheimer’s, dementia, things that you’re seeing are serious problems. And if you look at some of the stats, doctors that we work with, like Dr. Dan Murphy, will run the numbers at the seminars he does, it’s going to cripple the health care system on how much money is being spent for those kinds of neurodegenerative disorders.
So if we can offer a way to help with that, it’s something we’re very excited about, something we’re very proud about. The other thing is, I’d like to see some research as we’ve evolved from non-invasive fat loss, which is a very aesthetic procedure, people all want to look good, feel good. But if we can maybe look at some of the ways when we do this fat loss, how it’s affecting blood markers, as far as cholesterol, A1C, how it may be helping with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which is something we’re doing a study for, I think those are ways we can expand how we’re doing the research, and really help some serious issues that this country in the world at large is dealing with.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Yeah, it’s kind of interesting, when you look at the economics of healthcare, and/or even just say, sick care. The question that might be coming to mind for people is like, “Why aren’t low level lasers more mainstream?” You know, and without sounding conspiratorial, the reality of it is that economics support the current model.
The way things are, you know, that that industry, you know, big pharma and/or the kind of, you know, Western medicine model right now is established and set up in such a way that there are very much deeply vested groups, special interest groups that don’t really have a tremendous incentive to change things all that much. And quite frankly, especially when it comes to shifting things away from, you know, a ongoing, what do we call that recurring revenue model in terms of pharmaceuticals, you know, that they’ve got, you know, their biggest blockbuster drugs are all these, you know, quote, unquote, like lifestyle medications.
And so I think the thing you said, that’s interesting, Joseph is, at some point in time, people are going to have to recognize even the vested special interest groups are going to have to recognize. You’re going to, you’re going to reach a tipping point, so to speak, you know, where all of a sudden the cost of not doing something is going to, you know, what I mean, exceed the potential loss of revenue from switching to a more effective, safer, more cost-effective solution like lasers, you know, what I mean? Kirk Gair had kind of briefly mentioned this where, like over in Russia, they’ve been ahead of the curve in terms of low level laser therapy. And we had kind of posed the question to him, “Well, why do you think that is? Why does that seem to be the case?” And he said, well, from his perspective, it was simply a matter of dollars and cents, you know, that they’re very much because it’s socialized medicine over there, if they’re, they’re incentivized the opposite, you know, to make sure that they keep costs down, so that they can really be effective in that realm. And so that’s at least one of the reasons but in terms of, does that make sense in terms of, you know, at some point in time, thinking that there’s going to be this kind of tipping point?
Joseph Zapolsky: It does, it makes perfect sense. And I actually think that we’re already starting to see that awakening in this country, where you’re starting to see a lot of doctors working towards functional medicine, working towards preventative medicine, to get ahead of the problems. And like you said, keep the costs down. As sad as that may seem as a way to practice medicine, you’re going to get to a tipping point where the current system can’t keep up with what the problems are presenting and what they’re costing.
And that is starting to be something I’m seeing a lot more of. So I hope we really do make that change, especially here in the United States. The other thing I’m hoping, which I’m so thankful our owner Steve Shanks was of this mindset. When I first started working for Erchonia a lot of people look to us shining a red light on someone’s shoulder for pain going “You guys are out of your mind. A bunch of craziness, you know, just voodoo medicine!”
And now that he’s really pushed the research and proven it through these level one clinical trials. So the highest form of science to show safety and efficacy. Now you go on PubMed, and there’s a lot of peer-reviewed and published articles. And people are starting to realize, okay, there’s some other ways we can do things here. And a way we can really fight the status quo and make a change.
Dr. Andrew Wells: One of the coolest things we’re seeing in healthcare right now is this really big push into, this is kind of a catchy word right now, but like the biohacking world. And so you now have people who as a result of just traditional health care are really finding solutions on their own. And that’s one of the benefits and curses of the internet, is you can go on and do research on fixing your own health problems.
Because I mean, man, when least in terms of chronic health care, like our system is not doing a good job of that. And so people are now taking it in their own hands to get themselves better. And I really see, and correct me if I’m wrong, Joseph, but through doctor’s prescription, I would see lasers becoming a almost like a household tool for families to be able to use. Not just because they’re powerful tools, but because of the scope of what you can use them for.
We talked about fat loss, we talked about pain, we talked about the potential for brain health. We talked about toenail fungus of all things like what it’s almost like what can a laser not do? It seems like almost like a Jedi wand, you can use it for all these different things. And so where my mind went, as I’m hearing this is just a really powerful tool that a family would have in their quote unquote, medicine cabinet. They would have light therapy. And my question for you, Joseph, like, how are you using this at home? I got to imagine you’ve been with a company now for a long time. What does that look like for your health and like your family’s health?
Joseph Zapolsky: Yeah, and I agree with you, Dr. Wells. I think it’s something that if we do it the right way, proving it out through the studies that are required to show that it can be used at home. As you mentioned, it is a prescription device. So a doctor does have to prescribe it for a patient to use it. It could be something that could help with a lot of different issues people experience at home. And sometimes they may not be able to see a doctor all of the time. So they might benefit from using it on a more regular basis.
Myself personally, I’ve been very fortunate working for this company. I have a daughter who has Down syndrome. That was something that we did not know about until she was born. My wife working in the medical field does everything by the book. So all of the blood work she did, all of the scans, she did all the things you do through a normal pregnancy, showed no signs of any problems.
So until our daughter was born, Cecilia, we had no idea that she had Down syndrome. Now with the guidance of Dr. Trevor Berry, who has been on the podcast, Dr. Dan Murphy, who has been on the podcast, and Dr. Robert Silverman who has been on the podcast, we were able to get some good guidance from them on chiropractic care for her, on laser therapy for her, on nutrition for her. Not only her but mom, when she was breastfeeding when she was doing the things early in development. And we’ve been so fortunate that her development is ahead of the curve. She’s been unbelievably healthy. I probably say the only problem is she’s just ornery so all things considered. We’re pretty lucky and we’ll take that but it just goes to show how having those kinds of resources and you mentioned Dr. Wells people looking at what they can do to improve the health and well being of themselves and their families. This becomes another tool that can play a wonderful part in that
Dr. Chad Woolner: I’d like to dive just a little bit deeper if you don’t mind Joseph, on this because this is fascinating to me, you know. Down syndrome is a fairly common you know, diagnosis. You know, there I don’t know what the percentages, but I think we all probably know someone have a family member or a friend that you know has Down syndrome. And so when you say that it’s helped, can you can you quantify that in any way or give us a little bit more of a tangible like, what would your daughter look like without doing this you know, in terms of, and I know you’re not just putting it all on laser it’s just it’s laser, and it’s magic obviously you’re talking a more holistic approach of diet, lifestyle, chiropractic, all of that included. But maybe paint for those listening who either; A have a family member or a friend with Down syndrome, you know or know someone who does, what does that look like with or without you know, if you weren’t doing those things, what would things look like? What has it looked like since doing those things?
Joseph Zapolsky: Absolutely. And I think you really hit the nail on the head Dr. Woolner as far as the holistic approach. And what I mean by that is it’s a combination of the right foods, the right nutrition, laser therapy, and then not only that, but anybody out there that’s listening, that may be struggling with these things, you’re going to be your child’s best advocate.
So get out in your local community and find the right resources. There’s different therapies, different school systems, things that can really help. So I think the combination of that, when I’m painting the picture for other people is; on a growth chart, she just had her checkup at seven years old. They’ve never put her on the growth chart for a child with Down syndrome. She’s on a growth chart for a normal child her age. And she’s in the 90th percentile as far as height, which a lot of kids with Down syndrome, they do not grow as tall. When it comes to what she’s able to do as far as physical activity, playing, climbing, running, jumping, she has no issues. I believe that big combination of the physical therapy she received from her schooling system, the laser, and the proper nutrition.
We’ve also been very fortunate that so far, at seven years old, she has never had a surgery. And she’s had no problems with her hearing and her sight, which once again, for people out there who know or who have someone in their family with Down syndrome. Those are very common things that they deal with. So am I going to sit here and go, “Oh, the laser magically fixed all that!” No, I think it’s one resource in a toolbox that we were very fortunate to have at our disposal to help with her development and her health.
Dr. Chad Woolner: What’s so cool to me almost to the point of like, goosebumps when you’re sharing that, like seriously, is it’s not just this, like subjective, nebulous, like, “We think she’s doing better” you know what I mean? Like, because as a parent, I would want to lean that way, if I had a child that needed some attention and some help, I would want nothing more than to lean into that and hope and start to like, almost like, I don’t want to say imagine things, but I think it’s only inevitable that you want to. And so what’s cool about this is that here, you’re talking very concrete, objective measures that you can see. And again, not attributing 100%, it’s all because of the laser. But at the same token to you got to attribute something to the to the laser there. You can’t just say, “Oh, no, that’s just because of…” because I guarantee you there are those out there who probably do incorporate good nutrition, and other things, and maybe aren’t seeing potentially the same, you know, objective results that they would potentially hope for. And so you have to imagine laser is playing a critical role in that as well. So that’s, that’s really exciting to hear that, you know that it’s not just this, like crossing your fingers subjective hope, I hope it’s working, I think it’s working. But instead, you’re seeing, like, very objective measures there. That’s incredible.
Joseph Zapolsky: Very fortunate, I’m very thankful to be a part of this company, where I not only have the lasers that we can use, but we’ve been so fortunate to work with the doctors we have, and I mentioned a few of them there. So to be able to get their guidance and their help. It’s just a wonderful support system. And like you had mentioned Andrew, talking about the Erchonia family, it really is a family and to have that support system as well. It’s been great, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Yes, for those who are listening, I would simply say, and I really do mean this with all sincerity, Erchonia has done…if there’s one thing Erchonia has done, they’ve done a lot of right things. But if there’s one thing they’ve really done, right. They have curated some of the world’s best experts. They’ve done…we’ve said this before, I think on the podcast, but that’s and that’s one of the coolest things we get as a result of being able to host this podcast, the opportunity to talk to these experts. But literally the smartest doctors in the world are all involved with Erchonia.
And so it’s really cool to be able to see how Erchonia has just done that, and continues to do that, you know. There’s certainly an, I think, an attraction factor there when, you know, brilliant doctors see the research that Erchonia is doing they gravitate towards it. And so that’s, again, one of the cool things that for those listening, I think a certain peace of mind and reassurance that’s there knowing that it’s not just the technology but also the company that Erchonia keeps. They bring in some of the world’s best. And so it’s really cool to see that and to see that information, because collectively that makes a big difference, you know, moving forward with the knowledge base and/or you know that in and of itself being such a powerful resource for practitioners and for patients alike.
Dr. Andrew Wells: One of the things I’m noticing with laser therapy, that if you’re as I’m now as I now know about laser therapy and that’s…now seeing trends you saw years ago. Everybody, like Joseph mentioned earlier, he started with like one red light and now and then Erchonia moved to using violet lights and I think the violet lights were also…correct me if I’m wrong. So those were, I believe, Kirk Gair mentioned that those were…in that research, some of that was done in Russia. Is that correct?
Joseph Zapolsky: There has been research done in Russia with the violet lasers. There was also some done at the University of Illinois. And then, what Erchonia has done as well. So obviously that portfolio, or that library of research when it comes to violet lasers, specific ones at 405 nanometer, is ever expanding.
Dr. Andrew Wells: Yeah, and I’ve yet to see companies, other than Erchonia, put that research into actual practical lasers. So you have red, you have violet and you also have green. I don’t see anybody…other companies doing that, but I see other companies now trying to kind of emulate that and start to do that as well. So just another plug for Erchonia that they’re always on the cutting edge of what laser therapies are doing. But also are forward thinking in that respect where they saw, you know they saw the benefit and did it before anyone else was doing it. And I think, yeah, that just shows the wisdom and longevity of Erchonia as a company.
Dr. Chad Woolner: So, Joe-
Joseph Zapolsky: And hopefully we can, oh sorry, go ahead.
Dr. Chad Woolner: No, you keep going, Joseph.
Joseph Zapolsky: Hopefully we can continue to do that, because it’s something that’s important to us as a company to be at the forefront of what laser therapy can do to help people, and not every research project is going to work. Not everything we try to come up with is going to come through and be the next greatest thing. But as a company, it’s important for us to continue to push that envelope and the category of low level laser. So for anybody who is interested in us as a company, who has already supported us by purchasing a laser, about using our equipment. We’re going to continue to do that, so rest assured as we move into the future, that is important to Erchonia, to expand what lasers can do to keep solidifying the laser’s safety and efficacy through research and also to continue educating. I think we’ve done a great job educating in the US. Now it’s time to take that more globally so other countries, the distributors we’re working with can share that information as to why what we’re doing is different.
Dr. Chad Woolner: To that end, Joseph, you had mentioned earlier that you’ve got coming up here in November, Erchonia annual business meeting for the practitioners, specifically, who are listening. What can they expect at this year’s business meeting? What in terms of kind of the event itself, and or any exciting announcements or any cool things that are coming down the pipeline that you can hint at, or drop hints at, or give us as much information as you’re at liberty to give.
Joseph Zapolsky: So the annual business meeting is our funnest event of the year. If you need more information, you can hop on Erchonia’s website and look at all of the stuff we’re doing and get registered there. Just Erchonia.com. But it’ll be November 3rd through 5th. It’s at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, and this year is going to be our best event ever.
We have two different educational tracks at the meeting. One will offer CE hours for chiropractors, which is the first Healthcare Group that supported us, so it’s important for us to give back. So while they’re attending on the Thursday, and Friday, they can get 12 CE hours for being there.
We’re then going to have a medical room which is going to have MDs, DOs, nurse practitioners, and podiatrists teaching about different ways lasers can help in their professions. So there’s the chance for education, and like you had mentioned, the best doctors in the world teaching these classes. Now also, we’re going to be doing live episodes of the podcast with you guys there, which is an exciting new add. We have never done that, so there’s going to be a lot of people doing live podcast episodes there on Friday.
Dr. Chad Woolner: That’s gonna be fun.
Joseph Zapolsky: Oh yeah. Oh yeah! On Friday, evening we’re doing a cocktail party and it’s going to be a masquerade ball, which to me is very exciting. I think everybody after the pandemic’s looking to get out, dress up nice, have some fun. So that’ll be something we do there.
And on Saturday we do a golf tournament which I’m hoping to win for the second time in three years with the help of Trevor Berry and we all have a ringer on our team. His name is EJ. He’s the partner of Diana DaGrosa, who did one of the podcast episodes with you and, man can he hit a golf ball well. So that’ll be what we’re doing at the meeting, along with the possibility of introducing a new product and having a celebrity guest speaker there, which I can’t divulge those details, but we would love for you guys to come take a look at it.
Dr. Chad Woolner: So yeah, lots to look forward to. And so for docs who are listening, go to Erchonia website and they can register right now. Cost for the event is, I’m just looking right now, I’m on the website. What’s the cost for the event?
Joseph Zapolsky: It’ll vary depending on what you want to do, cause we’ve made it customizable, where you can just do the education classes.
Dr. Chad Woolner: OK.
Joseph Zapolsky: Just do the cocktail party. Just do the golf tournament. So it really depends what you want to take part of.
Dr. Chad Woolner: You know that that’s the other thing too, in terms of CEs, that’s one of the things that I’ve always just admired about Erchonia is they always provide some of the most cost-effective ways for docs to get CE credits. And you know, I’ll admit I was one of those docs for a long period of time where it was like when it…when CE time came, it was always “OK. What’s going to be the lowest cost and the quickest and easiest and if it happens to be entertaining and/or enlightening and cool, that’s just a bonus cherry on top.” I know that’s, like, embarrassing to admit, but. It’s just the truth, but since then you know, and especially since with Erchonia, it’s like you go to these events and they do such a phenomenal job again with really providing just such incredible, I’ll give a huge shout-out to Jerome Rerucha.
I went to his Erchonia seminar in Salt Lake. Man, talk about powerful hands-on application that was so clinically relevant. We’ve, we’ve adopted and incorporated at least three or four components of what he taught. Just as a direct result of what he taught in our clinic. And so just, I’m sharing this for practitioners because if you haven’t yet been to another Erchonia event, what better opportunity and what better time to jump in than their business event this year? And if you have, you know what I’m saying. You know that they do just such an incredible job. And so we’re really looking forward to that. I think that’s going to be a ton of fun, and I’m excited to see what kind of the new announcements are. I think that’s going to be…we’ve got some exciting stuff that no doubt will be. We’ll be discussing on future podcast episodes for sure.
Joseph Zapolsky: Yeah, absolutely, and that event, I mean, we pride ourselves on having a good time as a company. So if you haven’t yet had a chance to experience it, I promise you’re going to have a really fun time. The property is beautiful, the golf course is beautiful. It’s just so much fun and for anybody that may be listening, that’s thinking of coming in from out of state, It’s also a wonderful place if you’re bringing family with you, friends with you. Because being in that central Orlando area you’re close to Disney World, you’re close to Universal Studios. Obviously, it’s one of the towns that has so much as far as entertainment and dining. Because there’s so many conferences in the area. So it’s a great place to come where maybe you don’t only come to our meeting, but you make it a bit of a trip and enjoy the rest of the stuff that Central Florida has to offer, while you’re in town for, you know, five days a week.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Yeah, it’s going to be incredible, man going to be…and it’s beautiful. It’s at that Ritz Carlton, correct? Correct, yeah, what? What an incredible…I’m looking at the picture right now. It is. Yeah, it’s going to be an incredible venue. It’s going to be a ton of fun. So fantastic Andrew. Anything else you wanted to go over?
Dr. Andrew Wells: No, the event’s just a month away, so make sure to go on the website. Get a ticket, make some travel plans if you need to fly in and. And yeah, I haven’t been to this event yet, but we’ll be there in a month. Chad and I both, and we’re really looking forward to it. And I know from talking to other docs and it’s just an amazingly fun educational event and it’s right before the holidays when docs and patients start to like wind down before the holidays.
So this is like one more like business, really fun business event before you know at that time of year people kind of get dormant in the month of December. So let’s go out in style. I’m looking forward to it. And Joseph, thank you so much for being on the podcast. Thanks for sharing your story and your history with Erchonia and some of your family and personal stories. That means a lot to us and I think will also mean a lot to our audience. And also to know that you guys practice what you preach. And that says a lot about you and your company and the products that you guys use so thank you.
Joseph Zapolsky: My pleasure guys, I really enjoyed being on here and sharing and it’s one of the best parts of this journey. And not only do I get to make a nice living, but doing so in a manner that helps a lot of people. I love it and hopefully I’ll be back on for a future episode and maybe we can dive into some different topics or different things you guys think that the audience would want to hear.
Dr. Chad Woolner: That’s awesome, man, for sure. That is absolutely for sure. So Joseph, if we don’t see you in person before then, which I don’t think we will, we are going to see you here real soon, just in a few short weeks at the business event. And for those listening, if you guys are planning on attending the business event, please make sure to connect with us in person. We’d love to see you. Let us know if you’re a listener of the podcast and we get a kick out of that, so looking forward to connecting with all of you as well in person. And thanks for listening to this episode. We’ll chat with you guys on the next step, so have a good one.
Thanks for listening to The Laser Light Show. Be sure to subscribe and give us a review. If you’re interested in learning more about Erchnoia lasers, just head on over to erchonia.com. There you’ll find a ton of useful resources including research news and links to upcoming live events, as well as Erchonia’s e-community where you can access for free additional resources including advanced training and business tools. Again, thanks for listening and we will catch you on the next episode.
