Adaptability and Flexibility How does a phys ed major become a successful business owner? For Jason Conviser ’77, the answer came in an Ithaca College anthropology class. "I’ll always remember Joel Savishinsky’s Cultural Anthropology class," he says over his car phone early one morning. "He talked about how he learned his basic anthropology information in school and then adapted it once it he got into the real world. That’s exactly what I do now." Conviser received a B.S. in physical education from Ithaca College, a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Wisconsin, and an M.B.A from Northwestern University. He went straight into business after earning his degrees. He’s now the vice president of clinical services at the Bally Total Fitness Holding Corporation, where his job includes building relationships with organizations like hospitals and chiropractic practices. This relationship building is an important skill for an entrepreneur — which Conviser is, too. As president of JMC Distribution, a wholesaler of medical diagnostic equipment, he builds relationships with suppliers as well as clients. "We specialize in the VO2 Max, a portable radio-sized device that monitors a person’s oxygen levels while he’s exercising," Conviser explains. Doctors send the machine home with cardiac patients to see how they’re coping with everyday tasks like gardening. It’s been used with disabled children and to test the exertion of firefighters. More than 78 top exercise labs, universities and colleges, children’s hospitals, and high-performance Olympic training centers use the product. Ithaca College professor of exercise and sport sciences Betsy Keller uses one in her exercise physiology lab. JMC Distribution is doing well. But like any entrepreneur, Conviser has encountered some setbacks. "I’ve fallen on my face a couple of times," he laughs. For instance, all the units Conviser sold during his first three months turned out to have a software bug. Although it wasn’t covered under the warranty he offered, he spent a substantial amount of time and money traveling around the country to fix the units. "I had to make good," he says. "Creating an environment of trust with those first customers worked. They’re now my best source for referrals. Even when I’ve failed, I never thought I couldn’t be successful. I just knew that I had to change my approach and try a second time." That important lesson Conviser learned in an undergraduate anthropology class, he reflects, was the idea that a smart person is flexible and adapts to his environment. And that’s a pretty good skill for any entrepreneur to have. — Bridget Meeds ’91 Photo by Kim Kaiser
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