Rock River Strategies

Convene.
Architect.
Accelerate.

An operator-led council helping high-impact healthcare companies validate strategy, unlock access, and accelerate growth.

Collective Strength

The combined weight of operators who've built, scaled, and governed at the enterprise level.

Past experiences include:

$14B+

Health system spend under direct executive oversight

$40B+

Purchasing volume influenced through GPO strategy

180

Hospitals with contracting and infrastructure management

2,200+

Care sites across managed portfolios

80+

Years of combined global sourcing expertise, logging 1M+ miles across 500+ factories in Asia, Europe, and Africa

1M+

Miles logged across 500+ factories in Asia, Europe, and Africa (Global sourcing expertise).

The Council

Operators. Not observers.

R. David "Dave" Edwards

Former Executive, Premier Healthcare Alliance

GPO Architecture | Supplier Strategy | Channel Economics

With nearly 30 years in healthcare sales and management, Dave helped scale Premier's purchasing volume from $12B to $40B. He architected the organization's field force strategy and built one of the most respected supplier relations frameworks in the industry.

Strategic Value

  • Deep insight into GPO economics and contract uptake
  • Provider–supplier alignment strategy
  • National supplier network relationships
  • Go-to-market pathway design for healthcare ventures

William D. Kellar

Former Senior Supply Chain Executive, HCA Healthcare

Enterprise Spend Authority | Contracting Strategy | System-Level Economics

Bill brings more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, with executive ownership of over $14B in annual non-labor operational spend across one of the largest health systems in the country. He led enterprise contracting, supplier governance, capital equipment sourcing, and division-level alignment with HealthTrust GPO.

Strategic Value

  • Deep understanding of enterprise procurement decision-making
  • System-level cost optimization expertise
  • Executive credibility with CFOs, COOs, and supply chain leaders
  • Real-world validation of supply chain–focused ventures

Wes Sellers

Founder, Rock River Ventures

Healthcare Contracting | GPO Strategy | Venture Platform Development

Wes brings 15+ years of experience in healthcare contracting and procurement strategy across public and private sectors. With deep relationships in the GPO and enterprise healthcare ecosystem, he serves as the integrator — aligning advisory insight, venture creation, and platform strategy.

Strategic Value

  • Market access & procurement expertise
  • Venture thesis development
  • Platform governance & capital alignment
  • Integration across advisory and studio arms

Roger Biles

Advisor

Managing Partner & CEO, InterMed Resources TN

Global Sourcing | Medical Products | Healthcare Supply Chain

Roger brings 20+ years of experience delivering healthcare solutions across hospitals, health systems, ASCs, and GPOs. He has deep specialization in medical product sourcing, spinal implants, urology, and large-scale purchasing agreement negotiations. He leads a management team with 80+ years of combined global sourcing expertise, having logged over one million miles across 500+ factories in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Strategic Value

  • Medical product sourcing & spinal implant expertise
  • Large-scale GPO purchasing agreement negotiations
  • Established Walmart vendor & supplier to 10+ top U.S. retailers
  • One of the most respected global sourcing groups worldwide

Brian Weldy

Advisor

Former VP of Facilities and Engineering, HCA Healthcare

Facilities Modernization | Smart Buildings | Operational Technology

Over a 27-year career, Brian rose from hospital facility engineer to executive leadership, managing infrastructure strategy across 180 hospitals and 2,200 care sites with a $1B annual facilities budget. He specializes in IoT integration, AI-enabled infrastructure optimization, and capital prioritization.

Strategic Value

  • Infrastructure transformation expertise
  • Smart building & AI integration strategy
  • Operational resiliency planning
  • Real-world pilot environments for facilities-focused ventures

Reed Smith

Advisor

SVP & Chief Consumer Officer, Ardent Health Services

Consumer Growth | Digital Transformation | Brand Strategy

Reed is a nationally recognized healthcare marketing and digital transformation leader. He founded the Social Health Institute, serves on the advisory board of the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network, and was inducted into the Health Internet Hall-of-Fame as Most Innovative Individual (2020).

Strategic Value

  • Consumer-driven revenue strategy
  • Digital access & engagement transformation
  • Brand positioning for venture-backed platforms
  • Market adoption acceleration
  • Manages Ardent Health–SwitchPoint Ventures innovation studio partnership, building AI-driven solutions that combine clinical scale with advanced innovation strategy

Council Overview

Each piece essential. Together, impactful.

BillKellarDaveEdwardsBrianWeldyReedSmithRogerBilesWesSellersROCKRIVER STR.

Strategic Piece

William D. Kellar

  • $14B+ annual spend oversight
  • Enterprise contracting strategy
  • CFO/COO-level credibility
  • Supply chain validation

An operator-led council built to validate strategy, unlock market access, and accelerate enterprise growth.

Rock River Strategies

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