Live from MD Expo Dallas: A First Look at HTMA Ohio’s Vision for the Future

Live at MD Expo, Bryant connects with two leaders driving serious momentum in the HTM community: Nicole Koharik of PartSource and Alex Collins a Site Manager, both dedicated board members of HTMA-Ohio. This is a preview conversation,  the introduction before the full-feature episode that’s coming soon.

In this short sit-down, Nicole Koharik and Alex Collins give a snapshot of what’s brewing in Ohio:

• the 2026 HTMA Ohio Annual Conference & Expo, February 5–6 in Columbus
• a theme centered on Pioneering the Next Generation of HTM
• and a statewide commitment to outreach, pipeline development, and community impact

They also talk leadership momentum, award-winning progress, and the intentional work happening behind the scenes to elevate both the field and the people in it. Bryant, already slated as the keynote speaker, shares his gratitude for being part of a movement that’s aligning the right people with the right purpose at the right time.

This isn’t the full story.
This is the doorway into it.

A teaser.
An introduction.
A quick hit of inspiration before the in-depth episode that will unpack HTMA Ohio’s mission, strategy, and vision for the future.

If you want a glimpse of where HTMA Ohio is heading, and how they’re preparing the next generation of HTM leaders, this preview sets the stage.

Big thanks to our partners: College of Biomedical Equipment Technology, A.M. BICKFORD, INC., UptimeServices, MARS Bio-Med Processes Inc, MD Publishing and Innovative Radiology. Your support keeps the HTM mission alive!

This podcast was published by the B-Hawk Network.

Transcript

Live From MD Expo

Bryant Hawkins 0:00

We're live at MD Expo. I'm sitting here with two good friends of mine. I'm gonna let them introduce themselves.

Nicole 0:07

Hi everyone, Nicole Koherik here. I'm head of corporate brand and communications for Part Source, proud HTMA Ohio board member, and proud Will Ambassador.

Alex 0:18

Hi everyone, I'm Alex Collins. I'm a site manager with TriMedics and I am a fellow board member of HTMA Ohio. We're we're excited to be here. Thanks.

Bryant Hawkins 0:27

Oh man, glad you guys are sitting down here. So I know you have this big annual is it an annual show you guys put on, or is it semi-annual? Your Baume conference?

Alex 0:37

It is an annual expo. We're we're actually really excited to talk about it. We have a speaker, we're very happy to kind of share with everyone.

Announcing The 2026 HTMA Ohio Expo

Bryant Hawkins 0:45

Yeah, so give us the background. When is it? Where will it be?

Nicole 0:49

Yeah, so the the 2026 HTMA Ohio Annual Conference and Expo is taking place February 5th and 6th at the Renaissance Columbus Westerville Hotel. And we are really excited about our speaker, as Alex said, because our theme is pioneering the next generation of HTM. And it's all about preparing HTM professionals to lead with innovation, strengthen core skills, and ultimately inspire the future of our field, which you know one or two things about, right?

Bryant Hawkins 1:18

Oh wow. Yeah. Seems like y'all got a good program planned. So, who's the speaker?

Keynote Reveal And Theme

Alex 1:25

Well, you tell me. Tell me. Who's the speaker?

Nicole 1:29

Well, maybe we start with a big thank you because we are delighted to have you as our keynote speaker. It's perfect alignment with the theme, and we know that you're going to inspire the audience and looking forward to also getting out there in the schools with you before the event.

Bryant Hawkins 1:43

Oh, I appreciate it. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, and I feel honored and humbled that y'all entrust me with speaking at your conference. I'll do my best to do whatever I have to do to make it successful.

School Outreach And Talent Pipeline

Alex 1:55

Yeah, we're we're really excited for our follow-up episode. I know both of our goals with Elevate and HDMA Ohio, I look forward to kind of talking about some of our school initiatives. We within HTMA Ohio in the state of Ohio, we we talk to high schools, we talk to community colleges, we invite those students both into our facilities, into our expos, and get them exposures. So we're really excited to be able to talk about that in the future with you.

Association History And Recognition

Bryant Hawkins 2:19

Man, that's great. That's exciting. So how long have the association been around?

Alex 2:25

I believe this is our fifth expo, and I'll be honest, the association is tens of years old, but we've really seen a resurgence in like the last five with our our current president's kind of guidance and direction, the president before him as well. So Triss was a lovely lady, but she's kind of stepped away from our board, and then Ryan Gonzalez, our current president, and also he's up for ISO Professional of the Year. Yes. It has really been steering us in the right way. We, as an association, won Amy's Association of the Year last year. We're excited to be nominated this year by Tech Nation for Association of the Year, and we're we're really leading an effort and kind of guiding the the other associations on like this is what we believe associations should be doing in the community, and these are the efforts we feel associations should be taking.

Momentum And February Invite

Bryant Hawkins 3:17

I love it. I love it, man.

Nicole 3:18

We have to give Ryan a shout out. He's really been doing an amazing job of bringing the HTM community together in Ohio and beyond. I think our reach is growing, and it's been fun to work with him. We've already had a couple events this year with really great attendance, so building that momentum up until February, and uh excited to see everyone in February in Ohio.

Closing And Next Steps

Bryant Hawkins 3:37

Great, man. Yeah, Ryan's a good guy, despite what they say. Well, man, look, I appreciate your time and looking forward to further information coming out as we get close to that moment. And like I said, I appreciate you guys coming here for a minute. I'll see you soon.

Nicole 3:52

Thank you so much.