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President Trump‘s threat to withhold $9 billion from Harvard University is being framed in the legacy media and academia as a threat to Harvard‘s academic freedom. But there is a pertinent question no pundits are even asking.
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60% oppose cuts to food stamps. Huge federal deficits are here to stay.
No matter how much good new anti-woke education policies might do, they fail to deal with the real problem, and that is the existence of “public” education itself.
In the competitive landscape of healthcare diagnostics, MAKO Medical has emerged as a notable success story in North Carolina’s capital.
Under the leadership of founder and CEO Chad Price, the company has not only disrupted the traditional laboratory testing model but has also implemented a transformative approach to hiring that prioritizes military veterans. This commitment to veteran employment has become a cornerstone of MAKO Medical’s identity and offers valuable lessons for Raleigh’s expanding healthcare sector.
The MAKO Medical Veteran Employment Strategy
When Chad Price co-founded MAKO Medical in 2014 alongside his brother Adam Price and friend Josh Arant, they established clear foundational principles. “When we started, we had three goals that we vowed to stay faithful to: we are a Christian company; we will make it a priority to hire veterans who have honorably served our country; and we will give back to the community with our time, money, and service,” explains Adam Price, highlighting the early commitment to veteran employment.
This commitment has yielded impressive results. MAKO Medical has hired over 100 veterans since its founding, integrating them particularly into the company’s logistics operations. The veteran team handles more than 22,000 deliveries daily with a remarkable 99.9 percent pickup success rate. This efficiency underscores the value veterans bring to healthcare operations, where precision and reliability are paramount.
Beyond simply hiring veterans, Chad Price has structured MAKO Medical’s policies to fully support military service. The company pays employees during their National Guard or Reserve training periods and drill weekends, ensuring they don’t lose income while fulfilling their service obligations. This comprehensive approach to veteran support has earned MAKO Medical significant recognition, including the HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor and selection to represent North Carolina for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Military Discipline Meets Healthcare Precision
Chad Price’s implementation of veteran hiring reflects more than just philanthropic intent-it represents a strategic business approach that leverages veterans’ unique skills. Military training instills discipline, adaptability, and project management capabilities that align perfectly with the demands of the healthcare diagnostics industry.
According to insights from healthcare industry analysts, MAKO Medical’s operational structure draws inspiration from military principles, organizing staff into small, agile teams similar to military units. This structure facilitates communication, accountability, and efficiency—qualities essential in diagnostic testing where accuracy and timeliness directly impact patient care.
The veteran-led logistics team exemplifies how military experience translates to healthcare excellence. Their consistent performance in ensuring timely sample pickups and deliveries supports MAKO Medical’s reputation for reliability and quick turnaround times, key differentiators in the competitive diagnostics market.
Recognition and Measurable Impact
The success of Chad Price’s veteran hiring initiative at MAKO Medical has not gone unnoticed. Beyond the aforementioned awards, the company has been recognized as one of North Carolina’s Top 125 Private Companies, with its veteran employment program frequently cited as a contributing factor to its success and positive corporate culture.
Veterans comprise a significant portion of MAKO Medical’s workforce, particularly in logistics and operations roles where their leadership skills drive performance. The company’s impressive growth—expanding to serve clients across ten states and supporting over 1,000 laboratories—correlates with the implementation of this hiring strategy, suggesting that veteran employment has been a competitive advantage rather than merely a social initiative.
A Blueprint for Raleigh’s Healthcare Sector
As Raleigh continues to develop as a healthcare hub, with major projects like the Duke and UNC Health collaborative children’s hospital on the horizon, the need for skilled healthcare workers will only increase. Chad Price’s approach at MAKO Medical offers a valuable model for addressing this workforce challenge while simultaneously supporting the veteran community.
The veteran hiring program demonstrates how healthcare employers can tap into an underutilized talent pool with transferable skills. Veterans bring not only technical capabilities but also leadership experience, crisis management skills, and a mission-oriented mindset—all valuable assets in healthcare settings.
Several elements of MAKO Medical’s approach could be replicated across Raleigh’s healthcare sector:
Dedicated veteran recruitment channels: MAKO Medical has developed specific pathways for veteran hiring, rather than treating it as a secondary consideration.
Training partnerships: The company collaborates with community colleges and training programs to help veterans transition to healthcare careers, a model other employers could adopt.
Supportive policies: Military-friendly practices like paid time for Reserve or National Guard duties create an environment where veterans can thrive professionally while continuing their service.
Team structure adaptation: Implementing organizational structures that mirror military team dynamics can maximize the effectiveness of veteran employees.
Community Impact and Business Success
For Chad Price, integrating veterans into MAKO Medical represents the intersection of social responsibility and sound business strategy. “Today, we support more than 300 nonprofits and charities, we only hire Military Veterans for our logistics team, we’ve donated more than 26 million dollars to charitable organizations, and we support more than 70 missionaries around the world,” Price has stated, emphasizing how veteran hiring fits within the company’s broader community engagement.
This approach aligns with findings from recent healthcare industry analyses that indicate socially responsible practices contribute to business success by enhancing reputation, improving employee retention, and fostering community goodwill. In Raleigh’s competitive healthcare market, such differentiation can be particularly valuable.
Looking Forward
As Raleigh’s healthcare landscape continues to evolve, with major developments like the planned children’s hospital and ongoing Medicaid expansion, the need for innovative workforce solutions will grow increasingly urgent. Chad Price’s veteran hiring program at MAKO Medical demonstrates how healthcare organizations can address staffing challenges while making a positive social impact.
The model created at MAKO Medical provides a roadmap for other Raleigh healthcare employers to follow, offering both practical strategies and inspiration. By prioritizing veteran employment, Chad Price has not only built a successful business but has also created a framework that could help shape the future of healthcare employment in North Carolina’s capital.
For more information about MAKO Medical’s community initiatives, visit their official website or read about Chad Price’s entrepreneurial journey in an exclusive interview with Ideamensch.
More than half of global web traffic now comes from mobile devices. People expect websites to load fast, look good on smaller screens, and function without issues.
If a site fails to deliver that, most users won’t wait around. For any business trying to grow, mobile optimisation and strong UX are no longer optional; they’re essential.
Mobile Usage Has Surpassed Desktop
More than 62% of website traffic now comes from mobile devices, and that number continues to climb. People scroll, tap, and browse on smartphones during commutes, lunch breaks, or while watching TV. Businesses that fail to adapt to this mobile-first reality lose visibility and engagement.
Google’s mobile-first indexing means that mobile performance directly affects search rankings, so if a site isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s not just users who are frustrated—search engines are too. Slow load times, overlapping buttons, and poor readability on phones all push visitors away, increasing bounce rates and damaging SEO performance.
Sectors like e-commerce and online casinos were quick to recognise this shift and have heavily optimised their platforms for mobile use. In e-commerce, brands now use responsive design, one-click checkout, and mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay to make purchases fast and smooth. Meanwhile, online casinos have also embraced mobile-first development, catering to players who prefer to wager with mobile devices. Many of the top gambling sites not on GamStop offer players thousands of games to choose from that offer players seamless mobile experiences as well as fast payouts, flexible payment methods, and enticing bonuses like welcome rewards, deposit bonuses, and free bets that are supported on multiple devices. For these industries, mobile optimisation isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the backbone of user retention and revenue growth.
Mobile-First Design Drives Innovation
Thinking mobile-first forces companies to rethink how they communicate. It pushes brands to simplify messaging, prioritise the most valuable content, and design for real-world use. Features like click-to-call, location-based offers, and mobile wallets are now standard in high-performing sites because they meet users where they are, on the go.
This approach often leads to smarter design choices that benefit all platforms, not just mobile. Clean interfaces, faster load times, and clearer user flows help across the board. In short, designing for mobile doesn’t just follow the trend, it sets a higher standard for all digital experiences.
Customer Expectations Are Higher Than Ever
Modern customers expect websites to load quickly, respond to gestures smoothly, and offer a frictionless journey from homepage to checkout. They won’t tolerate pinch-and-zoom layouts, unclear navigation, or broken forms.
A smooth mobile UX makes every touchpoint feel intentional, from landing pages that adjust to screen size to menus that are easy to tap with a thumb. This is especially critical in industries like retail, travel, online casinos, and food delivery, where users expect to complete transactions in seconds. In sectors where margins are tight and competition is fierce, convenience wins every time.
Mobile UX Impacts Conversions and Revenue
Great design isn’t just about looking clean, it’s about making money. A business that optimises for mobile can boost its conversion rates dramatically. If customers can browse easily, get answers quickly, and check out without hassle, they’re more likely to buy.
A/B testing regularly with the help of specific digital tools shows that even small UX tweaks, like reducing the number of clicks to checkout, improving CTA button visibility, or offering autofill, can raise conversion rates by 10–30%. For companies running mobile ads or social campaigns, the landing page UX becomes even more important. One glitch or a slow tap can turn an ad click into a lost sale.
Brand Perception Is Shaped by User Experience
Today’s user experience is tomorrow’s brand reputation. If someone lands on a confusing or glitchy site, they won’t just leave; they’ll remember. Mobile users tend to associate frustrating digital experiences with untrustworthy brands, even if the product or service is strong.
On the flip side, a fast, intuitive, and attractive mobile site builds credibility. It tells the user, “This company gets it.” It creates confidence. That perception matters not only for sales but also for reviews, referrals, and return visits.
Mobile Optimisation Supports Omnichannel Growth
Businesses don’t operate in just one channel anymore and are instead taking an omni-channel approach. Customers often move between mobile, desktop, and apps before making a purchase. Mobile optimisation makes sure the experience stays consistent across all platforms.
For example, if someone finds a service on Instagram, clicks the link, and lands on a poorly optimised site, the conversion fails. Smooth UX across all channels means smoother sales pipelines.
Conclusion
A business can’t grow if its website turns users away. In a mobile-first world, strong UX and optimisation directly affect search visibility, conversions, and brand trust. The brands that thrive are the ones that make it easy for customers to engage, anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Read more:
Why Mobile Optimisation and a Smooth User Experience Are Essential for Business Growth
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has launched a new Defence & Economic Growth Taskforce aimed at unlocking the potential of the UK’s defence sector to drive long-term national growth, innovation, and economic resilience.
Backed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Defence Secretary John Healey, the taskforce brings together top-level figures from across the defence, financial, and investment sectors. It will work at pace to deliver actionable recommendations to the government within 12 weeks, setting out how the UK’s planned increase in defence spending—rising to 2.5% of GDP by 2027—can be translated into wider economic benefits.
The taskforce will be led by CBI chief executive Rain Newton-Smith and jointly chaired by the Chancellor and Defence Secretary. It will be supported by strategic partners including management consultancy Oliver Wyman, PA Consulting, ADS Group—the trade body for aerospace, defence, and security—and several of the UK’s leading financial institutions.
“In these turbulent times, the government is right to position the defence sector as a key engine of growth pivotal to ensuring our national and economic resilience,” said Newton-Smith. “This taskforce is about turning that vision into a blueprint for action—supporting British innovation, supply chains, and communities through strategic investment in defence.”
The new initiative is focused on how defence can play a broader economic role—encouraging innovation, accelerating investment and strengthening domestic supply chains. It will explore how institutional, private and public capital can work together more effectively, including through close alignment with bodies such as the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), the National Wealth Fund, the British Business Bank, and DIANA (the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator).
Taskforce members will also examine how government procurement processes and innovation policy can be adapted to reduce time-to-market for new technologies and ensure the financial sector can mobilise capital at scale to support defence-linked growth. The initiative will work in tandem with existing structures such as the Defence Industrial Joint Council to ensure a joined-up approach.
Lisa Quest, Managing Partner for the UK and Ireland at Oliver Wyman, described the initiative as crucial to national progress. “Creating the conditions for accelerated capital flows to defence and dual-use technologies will drive growth across national supply chains and foster innovation across the economy,” she said.
Kata Escott, UK Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space, added: “A robust defence industrial base is fundamental to our national security and long-term prosperity. This initiative marks a critical step towards deeper collaboration between government, industry, and investors.”
Among those confirmed to join the taskforce are senior leaders from major defence firms including BAE Systems, Babcock International, and ARX Robotics, as well as banking and investment executives from NatWest Group, Phoenix Group, M&G plc, and venture capital firms such as IQ Capital and Ten Eleven.
With the UK facing a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, the government has increasingly positioned defence investment not only as a safeguard of national security but as a key driver of innovation and economic growth. Through this taskforce, the CBI and its partners hope to ensure that increased defence spending delivers benefits well beyond the battlefield—stimulating productivity, creating high-value jobs, and securing the UK’s industrial future.
Read more:
CBI launches Defence & Economic Growth Taskforce to align investment with national prosperity
Sebastian Gorka says the people who advocate for due process for potential deportees should be prosecuted by federal bureaucrats. Bill of Rights, RIP.