By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Entrepreneurship is in Richard Ortega’s blood. Four years ago, with just a pickup truck and a friend, Kevin

Fahl as his business partner, Ortega launched Alternative Mechanical. Since then, the company installed all

the plumbing on Grand Rapids’ new Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion and worked on the rebuilding and

rehabbing of six GRPS schools, including Harrison Park and the new Gerald R. Ford Middle School.

This week, the duo announced the opening of their new business, Alternative Medical Supplies LLC, at 1345

Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, and the creation of three area jobs.

Alternative Medical Supplies established a partnership with Medline, one of the largest medical supply

companies in the U.S., and will sell and distribute durable medical goods including wheelchairs, walkers,

blood pressure cuffs, disposable gloves and First Aid kits.

“Right now a lot of medical goods are purchased from other states and from the east side of the state and

there aren’t many locally based, locally owned medical suppliers,” Ortega says. “We’re a startup company

that will be a local vendor for medical offices, hospitals, nursing homes and doctors’ offices, and we’re using

local workers.”