Shelly Prial has joined the Medtrade team as a consultant, Medtrade organizers have announced.
Prial is a fixture in the HME industry, having worked as a provider, as the director of government relations for Graham-Field, and as a business consultant. Prial has served in the industry for nearly 60 years, and the Medtrade news release of his hiring called him an “industry icon.”

“We are thrilled Shelly is willing to commit his time to being what I am calling a ‘Medtrade goodwill ambassador’ and know that his enthusiasm for the Medtrade and Medtrade Spring events will be contagious,” said Kevin Gaffney, group show director for Medtrade’s parent company, Nielsen Business Media. “We would have been hard-pressed to find anyone else who has more experience and passion for the HME industry than he does.”

Among Prial’s upcoming projects will be promoting Medtrade’s 30th anniversary, taking place in 2009. The Nielsen news release also said Prial “will keep the industry up to date on Medtrade and Medtrade Spring events and news.”