Who we are:
Sharon White - Starting in the early years of the Internet, Sharon has worked as an Internet director and consultant and is a certified project manager. She has consulted on project management problems and coached individuals and executives in companies of all sizes. Sharon has had the opportunity to work with companies and industries as diverse as DaimlerChrysler, MetLife, Detroit Edison, Chase Bank, and as an aide to state and national elected leaders.
Sharon is a graduate from the innovative James Madison College at Michigan State University and holds a MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.
David White - David has worked his entire career in the automotive industry, mostly in seat belt restraints engineering. He has worked at General Motors and also at several Tier 1 supplier companies and is currently an Engineering Manager for the seatbelt group at Delphi Electronics & Safety.
It was David's parents that were the inspiration for this business. His mother's trials during his father's medical crisis demonstrated the potential for this business.
David holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. Before attending Michigan State, David served in the U.S. Army for 2 years including a tour of duty in West Germany prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
History:
Bedside Notes was founded in 2005 as a direct result of David's father going through congestive heart failure. At that time, in 2004, his parents were retired, his sister was on a trip to Mexico and Sharon was 8 months pregnant with their first child and she was getting ready to take a trip to California to give a presentation.
David's Dad had been in and out of the hospital due to congestive heart failure for about 4 weeks when "the big one" hit. He ended up at the hospital barely able to breathe and could hardly walk from the car to his doctor's office.
His situation was critical. David's Mom called at 9:30 that night to tell David & Sharon that they were there at the ER and that his condition had improved when they gave him oxygen. Sharon & David decided not to go over, since they couldn't do anything and he seemed to be doing OK. At 2:30 that night, they received a phone call requesting that they pick up some pajamas and turn off the slow cooker; his condition was not good and she was staying longer.
Over the course of the next 14 days, Dave's Mom was at the hospital continuously, always trying to meet the doctors and find out more about the prognosis and what the next steps were. It was killing her.
Not only was the stress of the situation weighing heavy on her, but difficulty sleeping coupled with the need to be at the hospital early to catch the doctors on rounds was taking a physical toll as well. Adding to her stress level was the fact that NOTHING else in her life was being taken care of, and that type of stuff just piles up on you.
One night, after David and Sharon had visited along with David's Mom, they all had dinner together... While they were eating, they discussed the situation and how she was doing. The comment was made "It sure would be nice if you could pay someone to be there for you so you could sleep." They also remarked about how much harder it would be if Dave's Mom weren't retired. Over the next few months Sharon & David investigated some of the details and in the summer of 2005, they opened Bedside Notes.
