Bob Bezanson ... up close and personal

Career: Bob Bezanson, 57, got his start in the health care industry in the Air Force as a Medical Service Corps officer, essentially a hospital administrator. The Air Force sponsored his graduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, and he performed his residency at Barnes Hospital. It was during that residency that Bezanson discovered his future direction.

"I made an important decision at that time that I wanted to work in the civilian health care sector, particularly in a large health system," he said. That was in 1978. After fulfilling a three-year employment obligation with the Air Force, Bezanson began looking for job opportunities.

"I looked pretty much all over the country; I looked at opportunities in Philadelphia; Jacksonville, Florida; Columbus, Ohio; and Springfield, Missouri. And there was something special about Springfield, and particularly at Cox; it was just the right fit. It was the right people. It was the right opportunity."

Cox South was still under construction when Bezanson started his civilian career in Springfield. In the early '80s, Larry Wallis was named administrator of Cox South and Bezanson moved with him as assistant administrator. "About a year later, Larry became the chief operating officer, and I became the administrator of Cox South," a position he held for approximately 10 years.

Bezanson then served as COO from 1995 to the present.

Management philosophy: "I think you should surround yourself with the very best people you can find and then allow them to do their job. My responsibility is to mentor and to coach and to help them achieve their full potential."

Spare time and family: "I enjoy fly-fishing; the Ozarks is a wonderful place to live for that. My other hobby is woodworking, particularly woodturning. That's a great stress reliever for me."

Bezanson and his wife, Cynthia, will celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary in September.