Executive Suite: Greg Billing, Ronkonkoma

When he owned an ambulette company, Greg Billing used to pass along calls for service outside his main area of Nassau to Bill Gardell in Suffolk. And Gardell would reciprocate.

In 2005 the two former friendly competitors joined with a third partner to launch a new management company, National MedTrans Network Inc.

It was ranked No. 607 on the Inc. 5,000 list of fastest-growing private companies for 2010.

The company, based in Ronkonkoma, manages transportation for patients of health insurance plans in its network. It fields about 1,000 calls a day to arrange nonemergency rides for patients who need to make doctor or physical therapy appointments, for instance.

Gardell, vice president of operations, says, "A person on dialysis needs to be on that chair on time, they have a long day on that chair and they want to be home. They need to be returned on time."

Billing, 46, is married with three children. 

How did you learn how to manage others?
"I started very young. At 19 years old, I started a messenger service, and I had a niche in the radiology field," delivering magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) films to doctors. "I wound up hiring friends from school that I was able to manage and tell them how to show up and deliver those films. My philosophy there was I always gave them the lion's share. I compensated them very well, they did a very good job for me. They're happy, they'll do things that you'd ask them to do that they normally wouldn't do if I was going to chisel away the dollars from them." 

What was the most challenging thing about starting this company?
"Getting that first contract" with a health insurance provider. "It's meetings to have meetings to have meetings, and it could be years before a contract is finalized." 

How do you try to stand out from the competition?
"We try to push that we're local, keeping dollars in the economy of the New York metro area. [Others from] the Midwest, or the South, where these other networks seem to flourish, when they're coming into New York, it's not their area. It's our area, it's our backyard, and we know the providers personally. And we don't take the lion's share." 

What qualities do you look for when hiring?
A "hands-on, take-on-responsibility person that's very friendly, can handle a lot of patients. A very patient individual. We sensitize [the employees] -- with medical transportation, you're usually dealing with an elderly person or sick person." 

What would you change about Long Island?
"I'd like to see more Long Island businesses keeping business on Long Island." 

What advice do you have for someone who wants to start a business?
"Just always be up-front, honest. Know your industry. Treat everybody with respect. And don't get greedy, because greed is the formula for failure." 

Corporate snapshot

 Name.  Greg Billing

Title. President

Company.  National MedTrans

Business.  Non-emergency medical transportation management network

Location.  Ronkonkoma

Type.  Private company

Revenue.  $6.2 million in 2010

Employees.  10