CEO of Rheaply. Garry Cooper started out studying Parkinson’s disease in his lab at Northwestern when he noticed there were a lot of underutilized resources that other departments on campus could use. So he started piling tools and goods onto a cart and walking by other teams to pick up what they need. When he continued to get messages asking what happened to the cart – after he left the school – he knew he had a business idea.
Rheaply essentially acts as an internal marketplace that helps manage resources for universities, state and federal government agencies and enterprise organizations to better maximize tools and goods they already have. Today, Rheaply has specifically adjusted its technology to accommodate these groups in the fight against COVID-19 to increase the visibility and transfer of PPE resources (like masks) and other needed supplies.
Garry joins the show and has a wide ranging conversation about how Rheaply is working with the city of Chicago during the pandemic, how the business works, the shift in public consciousness since the death of George Floyd, and how organizations can make greater impact with the resources they already have.