New Emplify Health VP driven to serve
Former Mayo Clinic executive drawn to Emplify Health’s community connection and innovation
GREEN BAY and LA CROSSE, Wis. — “I believe that at the core of every positive relationship is trust. If you don’t have it, you don’t have a foundation to build upon.”
If you flip open what Bob Pepper calls his “Personal User Manual,” you will likely find trust and empathy on page one.
“We've all seen and used manuals on how to operate things,” Bob shares. “I think we can all benefit from creating Personal User Manuals that outline our values, how we communicate, and what we prioritize. Over the years, this has proven to be helpful in establishing trust within teams and amongst colleagues, both personally and professionally. By taking the time to understand differences and similarities, we can create a common understanding of values, goals, and priorities.”
VP of Growth & Execution
Bob joins Bellin and Gundersen Health System – and the brand we are becoming, Emplify Health – as the new Vice President of Growth & Execution.
A large part of Bob’s more than 30 years of experience in market strategy, product development and consumer engagement has been spent in Minnesota, where he was born and raised. Bob most recently served at Mayo Clinic in vice president and senior director roles with direct accountability to the health system’s growth, operational, investment and marketing strategies.
“True innovators don’t just have great ideas. They are also disciplined implementors of great ideas,” shares Bill Farrell, Emplify Health’s Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer. “Bob is the right innovator for this moment at Emplify Health because of his track record of collaborating with operational leaders to create winning strategies and successfully executing on them to grow and create new markets, contiguous and not contiguous to existing geographies, both inside and outside of healthcare.”
Leading through challenges
Prior to his time with Mayo Clinic, Bob served Austin, Minnesota-based Hormel Foods in executive roles with national and international influence for product management, strategic planning, systems design and innovation.
“A theme in my career, first with Hormel and then with Mayo Clinic, has been leading teams through very challenging situations and circumstances and achieving things together that many believed weren’t possible or required a new vision and significant change,” Bob says. "This included creating new products and categories that didn’t previously exist and reimagining how we do things, even things that were considered ‘off limits.’”
“Similarly, what excites me about this role with Emplify Health is the opportunity to be a part of growing organization that is committed to transforming healthcare and pushing the boundaries to reimagine what is possible. There is a mindset here about doing things that have never been done before.”
Community connections
Bob also sees a connection between Emplify Health’s values and the values he grew up with in Austin, Minnesota.
“What strikes me about Emplify Health is the connection back to the communities, and how important they are and how you organize around them. I am struck by how people in this organization interact with each other: humble, engaging, approachable, refreshing. This is the type of place I want to be a part of. I sense the spirit of community and that we are in this together.”
Bob earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of San Diego and a master’s degree in Marketing and General Management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Bob also has an Executive Scholars Degree in Leadership and Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University as well as a mini-MBA in Healthcare Management and Leadership from the University of St. Thomas.
