A self-described bean counter, Jamie Zdon has always had a knack for sizing up business opportunities. So, when one of his tax clients mentioned an opportunity in the medical transportation business, he took note. As it turned out, Jamie had some first-hand experience with the challenges and barriers associated with getting loved ones to and from medical appointments. That experience and his business acumen inspired him to partner with his lifelong friend Peter Greenbush to launch E-pod Transportation in early 2014.

We recently caught up with Jamie to learn more about the experience of building a service business from the ground up and the resources and partners who helped make it possible.

1. Tell us about the service is E-pod Transportation provides and what motivated you to launch the business.

We provide non-emergency medical transportation for people in Berkshire County and the surrounding areas who need to get to appointments ranging from traditional doctors’ appointments and chemotherapy to dialysis and counseling sessions, and more. We pick them up at their homes and take them straight to the office and then return them to their homes seven days a week. We do short runs that take people maybe one or two towns over for an appointment as well as long drives to Boston.

The decision to launch the business was driven first and foremost by the opportunity to fill a very real need and pressing need for the community. Being in the Berkshires, there aren’t a lot of transportation options; certainly, no buses that run 24/7. We recognized that for people who don’t have a car or, maybe they do and can’t drive themselves, getting to appointments was often impossible. I had my own family experience with it and was eager to find a way to make it possible for everyone to overcome that barrier so that can get the care they need.

2. How have your business needs evolved since the earliest days?

When we started in 2014, we were just two guys, a driver and two vehicles out of our driveways. Things scaled pretty quicky. By year three were at eight vehicles, year five at 25, year seven 35 and today we’re at 50. All along we were adding employees, growing from the initial three to 65 today. Our payroll grew nearly four-fold, we switched locations three times to accommodate the growth, and overhead expenses continued to scale upwards as the business grew.

With those increased expenses, plus the fact we often have to frontload expenses when the number of rides goes up, having a line of credit and a vested banking partner is absolutely essential.

3. What role did your banking relationship play in getting E-pod to what it is today?

Without question, we wouldn’t be where we are today without Pittsfield Cooperative Bank. They say it takes money to make money. For us it was more like you have to borrow money to generate cash. And the Coop 100% made that possible.

We originally approached a different local bank to help us with the acquisition of three vans back in the early days. Even then our numbers were really solid, but they turned us down. We ended up buying those vans with cash—that’s how solid we were. Then a friend suggested we talk to the Coop. To be honest, we weren’t very optimistic given the other local bank experience, but we thought, well, maybe we make a friend and that’s it. Turns out we did WAY more than that.

Honestly, our experience has been nothing short of amazing. When we approached them about a line of credit, it was as easy as show us your numbers, show us your plan, and you’re good to go. They make everything simple and easy. It’s the way banking should be for everybody.

We really appreciate how they take time to get to know you one-on-one and respect whatever you’re trying to accomplish. We never feel like a number to them. Everyone in the bank knows both of us by name and we really appreciate that.

4. What’s next on the horizon for E-pod?

That’s a good question! Obviously, we’re always looking to maintain positive service experience for our clients and paydown some debt, but we’re also very keen on continuing to expand. That may be through growth or through acquisition.

Regardless of what we do next, you can be 100% certain that the Coop will be our financial partner throughout it all.