Hutchinson Medical Inc., a medical supply business on Highland Avenue, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Company president Thomas McAuliffe and operations manager Maureen Martell sat down recently to talk about the company's business over the past century.
Where did the company start?
TM: The Bulfinch family had a pharmacy in Lynn in the mid-1800s, and my grandfather purchased the pharmacy from them.
What was your grandfather like?
TM: He was an entrepreneur, and it was a lifelong dream for him to have his own pharmacy.
Where did the name Hutchinson come from?
TM: Around the turn of the century, in order to be incorporated, a pharmacy had to have a registered pharmacist. There was a fellow named Hutchinson, who was the registered pharmacist at Bulfinch's Apothecary, so Bulfinch's became Hutchinson Drug. Co.
If the pharmacy goes back to the 1800s, why is this the centennial year?
TM: We just always have gone by the date of incorporation.
Why did you switch from being a pharmacy to a medical supply company?
TM: With the advent of the chain drugstore, we made a business decision in 1980 to discontinue the pharmacy operation and be exclusively in the medical equipment business.
Why did you move from Lynn to Salem?
TM: We were taken over by eminent domain by the commonwealth for North Shore Community College. (Hutchinson Drug & Surgical Supply, formerly of 133 Lynnway, was forced to relocate by the Great Lynn Fire of 1981).
Why has the business stayed in the family all these years?
TM: The health care industry is a business that gets into your blood. ... The more you're involved in health care and helping others, it becomes infectious.
How much has the business grown over the years?
TM: I would imagine it was only a handful of employees at the old drugstore. At the Lynnway location, we probably had 12 to 15 at the most. Now, we typically have about 30 employees.
Can you give me an example of an unusual product you carry?
MM: We have a pair of elastic shoelaces. You can slide your foot in and out, and the shoe still stays tight on your foot.
What can we expect in the future?
TM: We could have telemedicine when there would be a medical device in your home — actually, it's there now — where your blood pressure and vital signs are monitored at home.
