EWC 30: How it Began

We at Executive War College Central have done lots of proud yet humble bragging over the years, and thanks to all the smash hit reviews by our attendee guests, naturally we have developed healthy egos.

However, this year is even more special for us. It marks 30 years for what has become the world’s largest annual gathering of clinical lab, diagnostics, and pathology management professionals. Think about the remarkable longevity here. When Founder and undisputed Godfather of EWC, Robert L. Michel, first launched this with a humble gathering of 240 laboratorians in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1996, the Internet was still mainly the domain of IT geeks and dreamers.

Last year, we had more than 1,000 lab and pathology leaders onsite at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, and if early indicators mean anything, we will likely have our largest gathering ever back at the Hyatt when the 30^th Executive War College convenes April 29-30, 2025.

So how did Executive War College become what it is today?

Robert L. Michel, “The Godfather” of the Executive War College.

First, in the mid-1990s, Mr. Michel recognized that explosive change was emerging in the management of labs as hospitals began buying each other and forming health systems. Maybe even more impactful, the emergence of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) was reducing the reimbursement paid to hospitals, physicians, and clinical laboratories, and the US government was beginning to flex its muscles when it came to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988.

Suddenly, lab management challenges – most of them tied directly to a lab’s ROI — were everywhere. Yet, there were no large gatherings where like-minded clinical lab business managers/execs could meet to learn and network. Michel — who had worked at the Nichols Institute (now a part of Quest Diagnostics) – recognized a need.

He wasn’t standing in some Iowa corn field hearing voices that said, “build it and they will come,” or “ease their pain.” But as a former lab management professional Michel’s business acumen told him that a conclave of similarly challenged management side laboratorians might just work.

“I had worked at the Nichols Institute, and I noticed that because clinical laboratories had (up until then) been solidly profitable for so long, there was not much out there in professional networking, relative to the business side of things,” Michel said in an interview in a Lighthouse Lab Services blog in 2019.

So it was Michel who set out to fill that networking and educational void during those early days of widespread laboratory acquisitions and consolidation within the industry. It quickly became apparent that the right path was a business case-study format, where he would invite speakers from clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups, who were early adopters of various management and revenue strategies.

However, that first EWC in Pittsburgh wasn’t exactly the smoothly run, well-oiled machine that now wows our guests each spring in NOLA.

Back in 1996, Michel chose Pittsburgh as the site of his inaugural event because he knew that attendance might benefit from what was already another regional meeting of about 40 labs in the Steel City. So, he booked a Marriott in downtown Pittsburgh across the street from the Civic Auditorium (the legendary Igloo of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fame).

He then built a marketing brochure and invested in a pricy mailing of 15,000 pieces to sell seats. But then, a month before EWC I was about to convene, Michel accidently learned that the hotel – because of renovations and some labor issues – was closing its doors April 1 through July 1. “We contracted with the hotel, but then the hotel never notified me it was closing. We only found out because someone called to book a room for the conference and got a recording about the hotel being closed,” said Michel, who then had to mad scramble last minute for another hotel location in the peak of wedding season.

That’s when Robert found a small conference space (capacity about 300) above the Robert Morris College field house. He then found some available hotel rooms at a Holiday Inn near the old Pittsburgh airport, and EWC I was back in business. The field house basketball court served as space for lunches and receptions, and since the conference space was also above the kitchen commissary, the intoxicating scent of chocolate chip cookies wafted through the conference space all day long.

Thankfully, Marriott reimbursed Michel for his mailing expense and paid for attendee shuttle buses between the Holiday Inn and Robert Morris.

“There was nothing about this event that went off according to plan,” Michel says. “Yet, still people who went to first one still come now and remember everything about that first year.” We will see how many EWC I attendees will be there for EWC XXX. However, early indicators are that CAP Today Magazine honcho, Bob McGonnagle, will be proudly wearing his 30^th ribbon at the bottom on his badge this spring in NOLA.

For Year 2, the Executive War College moved to its current home in New Orleans, first at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street, where Michel doubled attendance from Pittsburgh (even with the scramble for space, the first EWC must have been a hit!)

Now that you know the story, more history to be made and more dispatches to come. Hope to see you and your “krewe” in New Orleans.

(Bob Croce is Executive Publisher/General Manager of The Dark Intelligence Group, the company that brings you the Executive War College. Have a question or comment for Bob, you can reach him at bcroce@darkreport.com)

Images from EWC 2024

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Don’t miss our Day 3 workshops below on May 1

Workshop 1
Digital Pathology, AI Image Analysis: Innovators, New Products Showcase, and More Join us for this comprehensive A-to-Z day about new solutions in histology, scanning, AI-powered diagnosis of digital pathology images.

Workshop 2
Whole Genome Sequencing: For Community Hospitals; Plus Companion Diagnostics in Lab–Pharma Relationships. Your lab’s clinical service and financial future is in whole genome sequencing and genetic testing. Learn what’s working and what’s coming next!

Workshop 3
New Federal Laws, Regs & Court Cases: Actionable, Vital Insights and Strategies
for Lab Executives and Their Attorneys. 
Our first-ever workshop brings together legal experts to explain multiple new federal laws and regulations—along with troubling court decisions. Lab managers should attend with their legal counsels.

Workshop 4
CLIA Compliance & Inspections: Key Changes, Different Inspection Priorities
for Lab Quality Officers and CLIA Lab Directors Learn lab accreditors’ new inspection priorities. Understand changing roles of CLIA Lab Directors. Network with innovative quality managers.

Workshop 5
Lean for Lab Leaders: Proven Ways to Swiftly Cut Costs, Boost Productivity Improve Staff Morale and Retention Invaluable for lab managers new to Lean. Useful for lab managers using Lean and ready to go to the next level. Master the trifecta of cutting costs, elevate productivity, reduce staff turnover!

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