CEO Spotlight: Max Buetow, president and CEO of CoxHealth (Sponsored Content)

Get to know one of the region’s top business executives and what makes them tick in work and life.

Q: What makes SGF unique to you?

A: Springfield has so many positive memories for me and my family. We sought out opportunities to live and work in Springfield, with my wife having grown up here, and with me having such a positive experience playing hockey and building relationships here.
Living in Springfield is a chance to be a part of a tightly knit but ultimately a very open and accepting community. The level of people supporting one another and engaging with each other here is very different. I felt an immediate acceptance at every level of my life, from being a 19-year-old playing hockey to someone who sits in a position of leadership in the community.

Q: What are the things that keep you here?

A: I love spending time outdoors, and our region has some of the best parks, trails and waterways. I am also addicted to progress, so I love driving through this community and watching a new business open or a new service offered.
I’m a huge fan of Tim Rosenbury’s push for quality of place initiatives. He and other community stakeholders understand that people live for that sense of place, and it’s great to live in a community where a group of highly invested local civic and business leaders continually push for progress.

Q: What aspects of the community and culture make you proud?

A: Springfield has an entrepreneurial nature in the fabric of who we are that keeps us fresh and cutting edge and always wanting more. In order to maintain this edge, we need to be able to compete for and retain top talent. People want to live in areas where their kids can go to good schools and they know their health is in good hands, so I am proud that our region is a highly collaborative health care and educational hub. Education combined with health care means a lot of good things for us in the future.

Q: SGF may never be called “the city that never sleeps” but if you had a billboard to brand and promote our city, what would it say?

A: “Make your mark, make a difference.” This is the kind of community you can put your fingerprints on.

Q: Where do you predict you’ll be in five years?

A: I hope to continue to be at the head of CoxHealth and doing incredible things to continue the legacy and great tradition of leadership in this organization. I want to propel us forward into a new paradigm of health care. I hope to be in a position where I can truly be a community leader and help forge forward in the way we are improving the health of our communities.