Interview with Gary Keith – Owner, Everything Medical (Alhambra, CA)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Keith.

Hi Gary. Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today? 

I grew up in a small town called Ormskirk in the UK. I left school at 15. During school, I had a paper round, and after leaving, my first job was picking Brussels sprouts for a local farmer. He didn’t pay much. Eventually, I became a hod carrier, working alongside bricklayers across England—often sleeping in the back of a van or in an old caravan parked on the job site.

At one point,  I attended a trade school in London to become a crane operator. Not long after, I was operating cranes in Liverpool at a young age. In 1991, I moved to the United States with my friend Warren. The U.S. wasn’t for him, so he went back home after a few months—but I stayed. I took on all kinds of jobs: valet parking, roofing, hauling buckets of hot tar up ladders in the Palm Springs heat, and courier work delivering escrow documents.

Later, I operated a yard crane in Desert Hot Springs, loading trailers with concrete forms used for large warehouse projects. After a seasonal layoff, I started delivering oxygen and setting up hospital beds and medical equipment for several companies in the Palm Springs and Palm Desert area.

In 1996, I moved to Los Angeles and got a job with Pico Medical. A few years later, I joined a mobility equipment manufacturer as their sales representative for Los Angeles, covering California and Las Vegas. I quickly discovered that sales came naturally to me—it never felt like work, just connecting with people. Despite having little formal education, I thrived and eventually became the West Coast Sales Manager.

In 2002, I opened my own store. My first office was across from MacArthur Park in downtown LA, and rent was only $200 a month. By 2005, we had expanded to take over the entire third floor of the building. In 2006, we moved to a retail space in Pasadena but soon outgrew it and opened another office inside St. Vincent’s Hospital, where we provided medical equipment for

discharged patients—everything from walkers and wheelchairs to shower chairs and commodes.

After several years, I decided to stop working with Medicare and Medi-Cal due to the

overwhelming paperwork and audits. I shifted my focus to the workers’ compensation side of the business, which quickly took off. I built strong relationships throughout the industry, providing training and in-services—many of those contacts are still friends today. As the business continued to grow, we moved into a larger warehouse in Alhambra and expanded the team to five employees. It was a time of major transition, but also incredible progress.

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? 

Running a business has come with countless obstacles. I had no formal education, no college degree—just the will to survive and keep moving forward. Along the way, I’ve faced employee theft, the impact of COVID, and even a major surgery that forced me to step away for several years. I’ve dealt with mutiny, legal battles, the loss of contracts, competition with Amazon, the constant need for more space.

 Without the money for advertising or a safety net to fall back on, the business has grown entirely through word of mouth, referrals, and sheer hard work.

Please tell us more about your business. What should people know about it? What sets you apart? 

Everything Medical started out small — just me, a van, and the determination to build something that mattered. I didn’t have a degree, investors, or a business plan. What I did have was a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a belief that if I treated people right, everything else would follow.

Today, we’re proud to serve the greater Los Angeles area, providing medical and mobility equipment that helps people live safely and independently at home. We rent and sell everything from hospital beds, wheelchairs, scooters, lift chairs, ramps, to custom mobility setups and repair services.

What truly sets us apart isn’t just what we do — it’s how we do it. When someone calls us, they’re often in a stressful situation. A loved one might be coming home from the hospital, or their equipment might have broken down unexpectedly. In those moments, we move fast, and we do everything we can to make things right.

Over the years, customers have described us as reliable, honest, and compassionate. We’ve been told we “go above and beyond,” that our service is “exceptional,” and that we “make difficult times a little easier.” I’m proud of that because it reflects the values this business was built on.

And I couldn’t do it without my team — especially Janis, who’s been by my side for years.

She’s the kind of person you want in your corner: caring, organized, and never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get it done. Many of our customers have mentioned her by name in reviews, thanking her for going the extra mile. She’s a huge part of why we’ve earned the reputation we have today.

Everything Medical has never been about chasing profit — it’s about people. About showing up, keeping our word, and doing the job right, even when it’s hard. I’ve faced my share of challenges, but quitting was never an option. Every obstacle — from surgeries to setbacks — just pushed me to work harder. I truly believe that refusing to fail has been the key to our success.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you? 

If you need equipment for yourself or a loved one — whether short-term or long-term — give us a call. We’ll take the time to understand your situation and make sure you get exactly what you need, delivered and set up quickly.

If you’re part of a home health agency, therapy group, or workers’ comp network, I’m always open to collaborating. We’ve built strong relationships across the industry through trust, training, and a shared commitment to helping patients transition safely back home.

And if you’ve worked with us before, the best way you can support us is by spreading the word. Our business has grown almost entirely through word of mouth — through people who believed in us and shared their experience. Every referral and every kind review keeps us moving forward.

Everything Medical has come a long way from that tiny office near MacArthur Park, but the heart of it hasn’t changed. We still treat every customer like family, because that’s how this business was built — with care, integrity, and the refusal to ever give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.evmedus.com
• Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/everythingmedical
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everythingmedical
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/everything-medical-alhambra?osq=Everything+Medical