A leader for his wrestling team at the University of Arizona, John Bardis took the discipline and drive he learned on the mat to become one of the nation’s most successful entrepreneurs over 25 years in healthcare.

He joined the sport at the age of 10, finishing second in the Illinois high school state championships and winning a Junior National title in Greco-Roman. His college career began at the University of Wisconsin, but he chose to transfer to the University of Arizona, where he won a Western Athletic Conference championship. He also placed third in the 1976 Greco-Roman Olympic Trials.

Bardis earned a bachelor’s degree in business at Arizona and began his career in healthcare with American Hospital Supply and Baxter International where he climbed to various senior management positions, including Vice President of the Baxter Operating Room Division. He left Baxter in 1987 to become president of Kinetic Concepts, departing in 1992.

From 1992-1997, Bardis was President and CEO of TheraTx, Inc. INC. Magazine named TheraTx the second-fastest growing public company in America in 1995 and named Bardis its “Entrepreneur of the Year,” for growing the company from $15 million to over $500 million in five years.

By June of 1999, Bardis, a resident of Alpharetta, Ga., founded MedAssets, an innovative company that partners with hospitals and health systems to enhance their financial strength. He has served as Chairman, President, and CEO since the company’s inception.

Bardis served on the board of USA Wrestling from 1997-2011 and on numerous committees within the organization. He was Team Leader for the 2005-2007 Greco-Roman World Teams, helping the USA clinch its first-ever team title, for the 2008 Olympic Team.

He was named to the board of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). In 2012, he was recognized as a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee and received the first annual Community Leadership Award from Modern Healthcare for charitable outreach.