Our Team + Our Story
The BlueBin Story
BlueBin began as a bold solution to a persistent problem at Seattle Children’s Hospital: clinicians were spending too much time managing supplies instead of caring for patients. In 2009, Charles Hodge, a Six Sigma expert, partnered with the hospital to design a lean, data-driven supply chain system inspired by Toyota’s Kanban methodology.
The result was BlueBin—a simple two-bin replenishment system backed by powerful analytics that transformed materials management. After saving the hospital $2.5 million and dramatically improving staff satisfaction and patient care, BlueBin Inc. was officially founded to bring this innovative model to hospitals nationwide.
BlueBin’s Mission:
Dramatically improve healthcare – adding value to the supply chain process by ensuring clinicians have the right supplies at the right time, maximizing efficiency.
BlueBin’s solution fuses cutting-edge technology with lean methodologies and principles, providing an operating system for managing all medical supplies in all areas of the hospital or healthcare environments.
Meet Our Management Team
Robb Swan
Chief Growth Officer
As Chief Growth Officer, Robb is responsible for all business development activities for BlueBin, including sales and marketing for the BlueBin suite of products and solutions.
With over 25 years of healthcare technology and services-related experience, Robb has a proven track record in healthcare IT solutions, including clinical, revenue cycle, practice management, computer assisted coding, and medical devices.
Robb previously served as Western Region Manager for LYNX Medical Systems, and has held multiple leadership roles in sales, marketing, training and management for Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries. Robb earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a Business Communications emphasis from Montana State University.
Gerry Butler
CIO
As Chief Information Officer, Gerry is responsible for all technical aspects of BlueBin, including all BlueQ applications, the BlueQ Intelligence Platform, and BlueBin’s hosted infrastructure.
Gerry has over 20 years of experience specializing in healthcare technology and cross-functional collaboration in SaaS application development, partnering with large multi-tenant hospital organizations throughout the United States. During this time, Gerry established a proven track record of delivering exceptional, scalable, and sustainable solutions.
Gerry previously served in multiple technical leadership roles centered around Product Development, Deployment, Testing, Release, and Training for Lynx Medical Systems, Optum, and R1. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Military History from the University of Washington.
Carl Petschke
VP of Operations
As Vice President of Operations, Carl is responsible for overseeing the delivery and execution of BlueBin’s supply chain transformation programs across its hospital network, ensuring every implementation reflects the high-performance standards BlueBin’s customers depend on.
Carl brings nearly 20 years of healthcare operations and continuous improvement experience to his role. His expertise spans inpatient and ambulatory workflow optimization, value stream mapping, supply chain improvements, warehouse optimization, and new hospital design. Carl uses Lean principles as a foundation for performance improvement and an integrated strategy for sustaining long-term change. Prior to stepping into his current role, Carl served as BlueBin’s Director of Operations, leading program delivery across Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C. Before joining BlueBin, he held roles at Seattle Children’s Hospital as a Senior Consultant in Continuous Performance Improvement and as a Data Consultant.
Carl earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Willamette University and also studied at Universidad de Sevilla in Spain.
Jeremy Harvey
Senior Director of Marketing & Brand
As Senior Director of Marketing & Brand, Jeremy is responsible for content strategy, brand development, and sales enablement for BlueBin, helping healthcare organizations understand the operational and financial value of smarter supply chain management.
With 21 years of marketing experience, including more than five years in healthcare supply chain and 13 years across B2B industries, Jeremy brings a strategic, data-informed approach to connecting clinical and operational decision-makers with the solutions and insights they need to drive meaningful change. His work spans campaign development, demand generation, and the translation of complex supply chain topics into compelling, accessible content.
Jeremy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and New Media with a minor in Industrial Technology and a concentration in design.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did BlueBin originate from solving a supply chain problem at Seattle Children's Hospital?
BlueBin was born from a real hospital challenge in 2009 at Seattle Children's Hospital. Clinicians were spending too much time on materials management instead of patient care. Charles Hodge, a Six Sigma expert, partnered with the hospital to design a better system using Lean, data-driven principles inspired by Toyota's Kanban method.
Origin story:
- Problem identified: Nurses are losing valuable time tracking and restocking supplies
- Solution designed: Simple two-bin Kanban replenishment system backed by analytics
- Pilot success: $2.5 million in inventory reduction at Seattle Children's
- Transformation validated: Dramatically improved staff satisfaction and patient care
- BlueBin founded: Solution commercialized to help hospitals nationwide
Read Seattle Children's case study → | Learn about our history →
What is BlueBin's mission in improving hospital supply chain management?
Mission components:
- Supply availability: Guarantee supplies are where and when needed (greater than 98% fill rate)
- Clinical focus: Free nurses from supply chores to focus on patients
- Operational efficiency: Maximize supply chain performance and cost-effectiveness
- Technology + methodology: Fuse cutting-edge analytics with proven Lean principles
- Operating system: Provide a complete platform for managing all medical supplies
How does BlueBin incorporate Lean methodologies like Toyota's Kanban in its solutions?
Lean principles are at the core of BlueBin's solutions. The very first BlueBin system gained inspiration from Toyota's Kanban methodology, a hallmark of Lean manufacturing. BlueBin took the idea of visual, pull-based inventory management and tailored it to hospitals, creating one of the first standardized Kanban two-bin systems in healthcare.
Toyota Production System adaptation:
- Visual management: Clear, at-a-glance inventory status
- Pull systems: Usage triggers replenishment (not guessing/pushing)
- Waste elimination: No overstock, expired supplies, or excess inventory
- Standard work: Consistent processes across all locations
- Continuous improvement: Daily Management System for sustained optimization
Who leads BlueBin's team, and what is their expertise in the healthcare supply chain?
Leadership team:
- Robb Swan - Chief Growth Officer: 25+ years of healthcare experience | Proven track record in healthcare IT solutions
- Gerry Butler - CIO: Physician with financial leadership | Former Medical Director of Continuous Performance Improvement
- Car Petschke - VP of Operations: 20+ years of healthcare experience | Expertise in Lean principles | Forer Senior Consultant in Continuous Improvement at Seattle Children's Hospital
- Jeremy Harvey - Senior Director of Marketing & Brand: 21+ years of marketing experience | Content strategy, brand development, & sales enablement for BlueBin
What ROI can we expect from hospital inventory management transformation?
Typical returns include:
- 3-7% medical supply expense reduction ($12.8M annually for BJC Healthcare)
- 15-25% inventory reduction (one-time working capital release of $5.8M for BJC)
- 30% operational efficiency gains in supply chain functions
- 50% reduction in clinical supply hunt time ($14B lost annually across U.S. hospitals)
- <1% expiration rate (vs. industry average 9%)
BJC Healthcare achieved 7.9x ROI in 36 months. We can model a specific ROI for your organization based on your current supply spend, inventory levels, and operational metrics.
Ready To Get Started?
Contact us today to discuss your our BlueQ supply chain analytics & inventory intelligence solutions!