JOHN CONWAY

John Conway is adept at evaluating a winning enterprise. After a personal introduction to Doylestown Health and the Richard A. Reif Heart Institute through Joseph Auteri, MD, Medical Director, Reif Heart Institute and Chief of Cardiac Surgery, he was inspired to make a leadership gift to support the new Center for Heart and Vascular Care and now serves as a member of the newly created Doylestown Health Foundation Ambassadors Circle. “The fact that someone as distinguished as John chose to join this group of similarly impressive stakeholders in our community is another vote of confidence in our clinical expertise in heart care and across Doylestown Health,” notes Dr. Auteri.

Retired since 2015, following 15 years as the Chairman and CEO of Crown Holdings, Inc., John now serves as the company’s Chairman of the Board. Founded in 1892 by the inventor of the bottle cap, Crown is now one of the largest packaging companies in the world, and ranks as the #2 producer of beverage cans globally, in addition to other leading package lines. According to John, “I used to say if you want to kill a conversation at a cocktail party, tell people you make cans for a living.”

Through his career at Crown, John has a unique appreciation for the complexities of delivering high-quality healthcare. “Similar to healthcare, the business of manufacturing is exceedingly complex. The regulatory requirements, distribution, quality control, customer satisfaction, and health and safety are all intertwined and not something you notice unless you really focus on what’s behind the scenes. Delivering a superior product or service consistently is very challenging,” John says.

Over the course of several meetings at the hospital and by conducting the due diligence process characteristic of any CEO investor, John’s favorable impressions of Doylestown Health were confirmed. “I had also heard great things about Doylestown Hospital from my wife Helen, who had excellent outcomes, and also from physician friends and others in the community who know the hospital well,” he continued. “Doylestown Hospital serves such an important function for this part of Pennsylvania and Bucks County. I thought it would be a good thing to help.”

Throughout his research John also noted the unique history of Doylestown Health and its position as an independent health system, which he considers to be a benefit to the patients and families it serves. “This area is growing and people need access to a first-rate hospital. The alternative of traveling to Philadelphia is difficult for a lot of people. It’s far better if we can come here and get quality care,” he notes.

Looking ahead, John hopes his gift will “contribute to maintaining the level of excellence Doylestown Health has already achieved. This community is well-served to have Doylestown Health and we are fortunate that the people who have put so much time and effort into it have done such a good job. Lucky us.”