We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam Deutsch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, thanks for joining us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

My father has always been my hero. He taught me many of the most valuable lessons I continue to apply every day, both in business and in life. Despite suffering from a degenerative form of multiple sclerosis, he managed to run a successful contracting firm for over four decades—eventually operating it from a home office when his mobility became limited. Watching his determination, grace, and work ethic left a lasting impression on me. I chose to enter the medical transportation industry as a way to honor his legacy. My hope is that, through Tri-state Medical Group, we can make people’s lives a little more comfortable—helping them access the healthcare services they need more easily than he was able to.

Adam, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Tri-state Medical Group is a regional market leader in both emergent and non-emergency medical transportation, actively serving communities throughout New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area. We currently operate a fleet of 50 medical transport vehicles, including both ambulances and wheelchair-accessible vans. We’re also actively pursuing several strategic acquisitions to expand our regional footprint and enhance our capabilities.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that the hardest choices in business—and in life—are often between doing what’s right and doing what’s easy. You can learn everything you need to know about someone’s character by watching how they act when things are falling apart—how they treat others, how they carry themselves, and whether they hold firm to their values. I truly believe that character is forged in the heat of struggle, not in comfort. Those moments of pressure are where integrity reveals itself.

But what I’m most proud of—without question—is the team we’ve built. We’ve invested heavily in bringing new talent into the field, and one initiative I hold especially close is our partnership with the New Jersey Veteran’s Association. Together, we recruit recently retired veterans and sponsor their EMT training. We run these certification classes regularly, and many of their graduates have gone on to become some of our most dedicated and skilled employees. It’s been a meaningful way to serve those who’ve served us.

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Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Leadership isn’t something you turn on and off—it’s a constant responsibility. People work for much more than just a paycheck, and it’s essential to recognize and honor that. A leader has to show up, consistently, with purpose, clarity, and care. You don’t get a vacation from being in charge. And no matter how stressful things get, you must remain respectful, composed, and thoughtful. The way you treat your team in the hard moments sets the tone for everything that follows.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In this business, sometimes you have to run toward the hard calls. We found ourselves operating several older box-style ambulances that were becoming increasingly unreliable—constantly breaking down and racking up maintenance expenses. While the cost of replacing them was significant, we ultimately decided to retire all four and invest in newer vehicles. It was a pivotal moment where we had to evaluate our return on investment through a purely objective lens. In the end, choosing reliability and operational efficiency over short-term savings was the right call, and it positioned us to better serve our clients without interruption.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://transunit.org
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/company/transunit

Image Credits

Peaberry Photography