Dylan Kalas is inspiring a new generation of healthcare business leaders

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Leadership is a breeze for Western Michigan University junior Dylan Kalas from Lawton, Michigan. With a double major in finance and leadership and business strategy, Kalas never imagined a career in the healthcare industry until he landed a position as a full-time sales executive at Breez Health.

“The skills I’ve gained in this role have been second to none as I work alongside experts in the field of healthcare. Perfecting sales strategies and learning how to perform financial analysis of hospital tax forms has been an invaluable experience,” he says. “Networking with healthcare executives through conferences, meetings and calls has been beneficial and inspired me to start the process of creating a healthcare-focused student organization on campus.”

Inspired by his boss and Western graduate, Nick McLaughlin, B.B.A.’12, CEO and founder of Breez Health, Kalas has opened a door into healthcare and wants to inspire other students to follow a similar path.

As the founder of the new student organization Association of Healthcare Business Leaders, Kalas’ eye for innovation is creating new opportunities on campus.

“The process has been a long one, but one that has already been so encouraging and fruitful. I am in the process of bringing aboard our final student officers and once we do, we will be able to register, becoming an official student organization,” he says. “Our mission is to connect healthcare industry executives to the student leaders here at Western in order to forge a bright future for students and healthcare as a whole. We plan to do this through educational panel sessions with executives, networking with national associations, hosting employer visits and providing professional development events.”

As if working full-time and creating his own organization wasn’t enough, Kalas is signing up for sales competitions, attending conferences and earning certifications to further his skills. As a member of the Sales and Business Marketing Association, he took part in the November 2022 Enterprise Sales Challenge against Central Michigan University where he competed in the personal pitch, sales call and speech challenges—with the Western team winning overall.

Adding to his impressive involvements, Kalas is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association where he has obtained his certified revenue cycle representative credential and is a member of the Early Careerist Committee to help other students kick-start their healthcare careers. Additionally, he is involved in the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management.

“These connections have allowed me to meet executives and professionals in my industry across the country and establish relevant relationships with them. I have gained so much industry- specific education with the goal to grow my success in my sales role at Breez Health,” he says.

Kalas’ knack for leadership motivates his friends and classmates to explore paths they might never have considered. To follow his journey, you can find him on LinkedIn.

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