Why Cardinal Waypoint?

The naming of a thing is important.

I was named for my late father, who was named for a beloved uncle. All three of us are namesakes of a 13th century saint whose famous prayer requests to be the means of peace, and to desire less to be understood than to understand.

To be frank (or Frank) is to be forthright.

And so Cardinal Waypoint LLC, a new consultancy for health policy and leadership, is named with some forethought.

Cardinal is both a noun and an adjective. It is the famous red-crested bird known for its hardiness and as a harbinger in winter of warmer, greener days. Perched on a baseball bat, it is the mascot of the major league ballclub of my childhood home, St. Louis. One does not grow up there and not bleed Cardinal red for life. 

As an adjective, cardinal means the first, the primary, the fundamental, the foremost in importance, the basic and essential thing.

Waypoint is a map term. It is neither the beginning of a route nor its end, but a vital locale of a journey necessary to clear en route to a destination. Passengers from the U.S. to Europe might find New York's JFK airport a critical waypoint. Often a waypoint involves an assessment, or a change in the mode of travel, or a new direction.

For health industry stakeholders, the worlds of policy and advocacy are vast waypoints on the way to better health, lower costs, greater competitiveness and profitability, stronger brand, mitigated risk.

From nearly 30 years on Capitol Hill, engagement in health policy at the federal and state levels, and association management and leadership including at the CEO level, comes the know-how and service commitment that is Cardinal Waypoint LLC.

So named, let's get moving.