MEDAIRE/Special Achievement
www.medaire.com 
Tommy, a brave eight-year-old boy who was dying in her arms, was Joan Sullivan Garrett's inspiration for MedAire. One blistering summer day in 1983, Tommy was injured in a rollover accident on a remote Arizona desert road. A local ambulance team didn't immediately recognize the seriousness of his injuries.
Joan was a flight nurse on medical rescue aircraft based in Arizona. She was also the single mother of two sons. In Tommy's eyes, she saw her own sons and, she says, the vision for MedAire. It is now an international company that seeks to provide the Western standard of heath care and security services and products to clients who do not have immediate access to their normal support infrastructure.
The company she founded is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, now serving 500 million travelers each year, with nearly 250 associates in five countries--Australia, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand and Indonesia. MedAire clients include commercial and business aviation, private and commercial maritime and the U.S. government. GlobaLifeline aids business travelers. The company's MedLink brand name is recognized as a world standard.
MedAire also operates a Tempe/Phoenix-based Global Response Center, a collaboration with Banner Health System's Good Samaritan Hospital. The center provides 911-like health, safety and security assistance.
MedAire team members were one of the first medical rescue teams on the ground in Phuket, Thailand, following the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami. MedAire also airlifted medical supplies into devastated areas of Ache. It continues to provide support in the region.
Back to 2005 Spirit of Enterprise Awards
