JUST TWO YEARS AGO, Beckett HealthCare's revenue was between $7 million and $8 million. The provider now tops $37 million-an increase the company largely attributes to serving children with high-tech respiratory needs.

As a way of "saying thank you" to his community, Beckett contributes staff time, money and equipment to a host of local and citywide events, says Philip Leone, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Sharon Hill, Pa.-based company. "We've been part of the community since 1979," he says, "and it's our way to give back to the community that has spearheaded our growth."

Each fall, for example, Beckett and Children's Seashore House, a subacute facility, help fund and chaperon a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo for technology-dependent children. Beckett also works with Stop Child Abuse Now, a Philadelphia organization started by physicians. This year, it donated $10,000 to be the organization's first corporate sponsor for its largest annual fund-raising event. And then there's the annual Pennsylvania Vent Camp, to which Beckett has donated both equipment and therapist time for the last several years.

These contributions and involvement haven't gone unnoticed by local referral sources, families and industry groups: To gather children for the vent camps and zoo trips, Beckett employees often go straight to children's hospitals and subacute facilities. "The nurses and the physicians see what we're doing," Leone says, "and they appreciate and remember it."

Being a community leader in the eyes of parents is crucial to gaining a solid share of the high-tech pediatric business, he continues. "When you're talking about a ventilator-dependent child, it's a big decision for the family to accept that responsibility. If our name is offered up to the family, we are basically interviewed by them. They want to know we'll be there, and having an established name and references in the community helps a lot."

With a recent acquisition in Dallas under its belt and plans to expand, Beckett has every intention of making sure community involvement is a priority even as its reach extends far beyond Sharon Hill, Leone says. "We're working on the idea of getting corporate sponsorships to help fly children in to Philadelphia from various locations to participate in the zoo trip," he says. "Either that or have similar trips to zoos in local cities."

In May, Beckett's volunteer activities earned the company kudos from the National Association for Medical Equipment Services, which presented the provider with its annual Community Relations Achievement Award.

But according to Leone, you don't have to be a big-time provider to become involved, make a difference and get noticed. "When we were a tiny, one-location provider, we worked with these organizations, just keeping in mind our budget constraints," he says. "Where we couldn't allocate dollars, for example, we allocated people, which is sometimes more valuable."