LAS VEGAS — The big show here was at the Rio Hotel & Casino, where Hanger Orthopedic Group and its patient care business, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, unveiled its new unifying brand and logo during the opening ceremonies of the annual Hanger Education Fair and National Meeting.
Subject to shareholder approval, Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. will be renamed “Hanger.” Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics will be referred to as “Hanger Clinic.”
The new brand identity involves new company names, logos and designs, as well as more consistent business practices, standards of service, and communications, according to a press release from the company. The rebranding and new logo, in the works for nearly 2 years, was the result of extensive research, 4,000 touchpoints, focus groups and surveys, as well as input from internal and external stakeholders, according to Tom Kirk, Hanger chief executive officer.
“Our new simplified company name puts even greater emphasis on our 150-year-old legacy of the Hanger family name and the quality, expertise and dedication associated with that name,” Kirk said.
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| Sharod Edwards recounts his story. | |
| Images: Cowles C, O&P Business News |
New Tagline
“Empowering Human Potential” is the new tagline for the company. “It’s a mantra for all Hanger employees that motivates and reminds us of the essential role we play in the lives our patients and customers,” Rick Taylor, Hanger Clinic president and chief operating officer, said. “Whether directly or indirectly, every individual across every business unit and department at Hanger is helping to improve the lives of our customers.”
“None of us is as strong as all of us. Together as one company with one vision and one passion, we’re all one Hanger,” said Vinit Asar, Hanger president and chief operating officer “With our new brand comes a focus on collaboration, so we can use the strength and the efficiency that comes from a unified group of companies all working together toward a common goal.”
The new Hanger and Hanger Clinic logos feature a colorful icon, known as the “Empower Mark,” which “symbolizes a beacon of hope for Hanger’s clients,” according to the release.
Patients’ Personal Stories
The annual conference features inspirational patients, including wounded U.S. veterans, children, and amputee athletes sharing stories of survival, overcoming adversity, and thriving despite amputation and other physical challenges.
With a main stage shrouded in curtains and four large suspended video screens, more than 1,200 meeting attendees, Hanger employees and exhibitors watched as the event unfolded amid swirling lights and uplifting music. The Hanger officers joined onstage to make their remarks.
Smaller stages featured Hanger patient amputees, who spoke to the audience about their rehabilitation efforts.
Sharod Edwards, a wounded Iraqi war veteran, spoke of his service in the Navy. Edwards suffered a combat-related injury on Christmas Day, 2005, which necessitated the amputation of his right arm below the elbow. He recently became the first U.S. veteran to be fit with the Michelangelo Hand.
Walking Again
Former Paralympic champion John Siciliano lost his right leg 4 inches above the knee in a 1993 accident involving a drunk driver. Siciliano currently enjoys acting and is now fit with the intuitive Genium Bionic Prosthetic System.
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Megan McKeon, a 13-year-old Latvia native, lost a leg at age 5 months as a result of burns she suffered when her mother dropped a cigarette in her crib. She now uses the WintersGel prosthetic liner, developed by Hanger’s vice president of prosthetics Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP and Florida-based clinician Dan Strzempka, CPO. Megan now lives with her adoptive parents in California.
Jacqueline Truong was paralyzed in a car accident in March 2009, which fractured her T12 vertebra and resulted in a spinal cord injury. Doctors told her initially that she would not be able to walk again. Now she uses sophisticated braces to walk short distances and has returned to school to pursue her dream of becoming a physician’s assistant.
Cameron Clapp was struck by a train in 2001 at age 15 years after an evening of underage drinking. He lost both legs and his right arm in the accident. He was also told he would not walk again, but in only 5 months he was walking independently with prosthetic legs. Cameron now travels the country on microprocessor-controlled prosthetic legs sharing his story with fellow amputees, teenagers, and members of the medical community.
As the event ended, Kirk stressed the renewed commitment to customer care that will come with the new Hanger brand. “We are on the precipice of something grand,” he said.
