A Tribute to John Gallagher: A Journey of Dedication and Memories

Published in Government Relations on January 08, 2025

By Emily Harken

When I started working for John Gallagher 12 years ago, I often heard the phrase, “baptism by fire.” I quickly learned what that meant. At the time, the team consisted of John Gallagher, Mark Higley, and Tom Powers, and they were all constantly on the road. 

I would get a phone call from John saying, “The ESRD was just released, look it up and write up a summary, we need to get this to our members ASAP. I’m hopping on a plane…get it out before the end of the day.”  

My thoughts were, “What the heck is an ESRD? Oh, a 75-page document that has very little to do with DME? Great.” Somehow, I made it through the years of industry and government terminology, thanks to the “baptism by fire.” 

Well, the demands from John didn’t necessarily get any easier, but I was able to navigate through them, thanks to his guidance and the invaluable experiences I gained along the way. John, your dedication, leadership, and the countless memories we’ve shared will always be cherished.  

Just a few fun facts about John that not everyone may know…or maybe you do.

• Other than his family, John is most proud of being inducted into the United States ARMY ROTC and University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Hall of Fame back in 2016. He sat next to General Colin Powell at the ceremony.  
• When attending the University of Northern Iowa, John played the Coors Wolf. Yes, he dressed up as a wolf and went around campus selling Coors products. 
• John and Mark Higley were always bickering about who had the most Delta miles and Hilton Honors points. 
• John’s most memorable moment at VGM was shortly after he started in 2002. Van Miller and Jim Walsh had everyone dress in red, white, and blue and stand on the Ansborough Ave overpass, waving American flags over the interstate. Then everyone went back in and packed care packages to send to soldiers during the Iraq War. This is when Van took to calling John the “Gov. guy.” As an “old soldier,” John realized he had made the right choice in coming to work at VGM. 

• In retirement, John is looking forward to spending time with his lovely bride, Beth, of 41 years, their six children, and especially his two grandkids, Quinn and Sonny. John also plans to attend most of his son’s basketball games with Northwest Missouri State in the MIAA Conference. 

Farewell, John! We thank you for your many years of exhausting travel, deep devotion, and unwavering advocacy for the DMEPOS industry. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement! 

Feel free to wish John well in retirement by clicking and recording yourself on this link. John will enjoy these well wishes in retirement. https://share.vidday.com/e/r-jmq57g   

A retirement party will be held for John on Wednesday, Jan. 29. If you’re interested in attending, please reach out to me at emily.harken@vgm.com for additional details. 

The VGM Government Relations Team Seeking Champions of Change in 2025 

Our team may look a bit different these days, but our goals and mission remain the same. We continue to be 100% focused on supporting our members, the State Associations, and all of our industry stakeholders. The VGM Government Relations team is excited to work with the new Congress as well as some returning champions in 2025.

“Growing Champions of Change” 

During the next year, we will fully embrace the challenge to grow advocates within our industry. Building off our Champions of Change focus from last year, 2025 will be focused on “Growing Champions of Change.” This will be the resounding theme in all our marketing, legislative activities, and in our information and education. 

Advocacy 

Legislators want to hear from their constituents, not lobbyists! With our “Growing Champions of Change” campaign, VGM Government Relations will continue to educate VGM members and supplier partners to become more engaged in advocacy activities by providing information, resources, and tools for them to be better prepared to deliver our message to elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels of government. We want every legislator to have a DMEPOS company or person to connect with. 

The DMEPOS Industry Just Makes $Cents$ 

In 2025, the message to legislators will be that the DMEPOS industry just makes $Cents$. The key challenge is the growing “barriers” to home healthcare. Lower reimbursement rates have caused many of our members to restrict service areas and opt out of selling/services certain product lines. This creates barriers for patients to get equipment/services in a timely and efficient manner. Greater travel distances, online shopping, and confusion of resources limit patients' ability to receive the care they need in their home. 

We hope you will join the fight! 

Now is not the time to go silent! At VGM, we look forward to working with our VGM members and the DME state associations to build a stronger tomorrow. Congress is now back in session. Please continue to build relationships with your legislators and their staff members. 

We hope you will join us in the fight in 2025! We look forward to continuing the battle for accessibility and fair reimbursement for quality goods and services.