Trent Kleinow, co-owner of Priority Medical Transport, LLC, in North Platte, says Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) Consultant Charlie McPherson “was instrumental” in getting the inter-facility medical transportation service launched.
Kleinow opened the business with his brother, Trev, in November 2015 after nearly two years laying the groundwork. “In the beginning, we weren’t sure how to start building a business plan,” Trent Kleinow says. “Charlie helped figure out exactly what data we needed. We compiled it and took it back to him, and he built the plan for us.”
He says the results were impressive. “We had more favorable comments on that business plan from the bank and investors than we had imagined,” he says. “They were really impressed with the work that went into it.”
The brothers joined with Jim Smith, M.D., and began Priority Medical Transport with two ambulances and 14 staff members including paramedics, nurses and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and have since expanded to four ambulances and 34 staffers, 20 of whom are full-time. “We thought we’d handle 40 calls a month and we have been averaging 85,” Kleinow says. They are expanding the business to the Kearney, NE area.
Trent Kleinow began his Emergency Medical Services (EMS) career with the North Platte Fire Department (NPFD) in 1999 while obtaining his EMT licensure through Mid Plains Community College. In 2000, he advanced his to the EMT-Intermediate level and obtained his Hazardous Materials Technician certification through Texas A&M University. He has moved through the ranks at NPFD with a promotion to Fire Captain in 2011 and to Assistant Fire Chief in 2013. He currently oversees daily operations as well as fire, hazmat and EMS training.
Trev Kleinow is a Nationally Registered Paramedic who began as a hazmat technician. During that time, he obtained his EMT license with the State of Nebraska and National Registry in 2006. He went on to obtain his paramedic license from the Accelerated Paramedic Program in McCook, Neb. He has held the position of paramedic ER Tech at Great Plains Health Emergency Department, and transport medic and 911 medic for Regional West Garden County Hospital.
Dr. Smith has been board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine since 1992. He has served as president of the Nebraska chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians and in 2006 was appointed by the governor to the Nebraska State EMS Board, where he serves as board chairman.
Trent Kleinow says the NBDC and McPherson have been reliable sources of detailed guidance for his business. “With Charlie, we weren’t wasting our time on things we didn’t need to do,” he says. “He knew precisely what he needed to help build our plan and we got it to him. There is no way we could have put together that extensive a plan without him.”
He says McPherson has been “a great asset for us, and for others. There’s a local gym owner who wanted to expand his business and asked how we got our plan put together, so we sent him Charlie’s way. I would definitely recommend him and the NBDC to anyone just starting out or needing help with their business.”