After becoming a volunteer firefighter and EMT over 35 years ago, Garry Fulk quickly found a passion for caring for others in need. During this time, he had the opportunity to transport over 10,000 patients, and to educate others in First Aid and CPR throughout McLean County and surrounding area. After retiring recently, he decided it was time to continue his passion for educating others by opening his business, CODEBUSTERS, in 2017.
While he knew there was a need for his services, he was surprised to learn just how many people he has had the opportunity to teach this year. With a goal of offering 100 classes in McLean County, Garry has surpassed his goal, teaching over 750 people the life-saving skills and techniques of CPR and First Aid!
Garry had the help of many services throughout the community to get him there, including the SBDC! He shares: “My greatest challenge is letting people know how to obtain the knowledge….Word of mouth and door to door marketing was good, but [I] couldn't reach as many as I wanted.” After finding out about the SBDC’s services through the Chamber of Commerce’s Soloprenuer networking group, Garry reached out for advice on his marketing tactics. “The SBDC connected me with marketing ideas and resources that allowed me to contact target markets with email campaigns and mail follow-up. This has proven to be very beneficial.”
As Garry continues to grow CODEBUSTERS, he shares his future goals: “I hope to share my stories of working as a Paramedic and passion for teaching with a network of instructors who can reach others so more lives may be saved.”
“CODEBUSTERS teaches Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) the proper use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and basic First Aid Skills to members of the public, vocations needing specific certification, and to Healthcare providers. These classes not only provide compliance for those needing it, but life-saving skills for those wanting to learn more.”
To learn more about CODEBUSTERS and sign up for a class, visit www.codebusters-cpr.com, or contact Garry at garry@CODEBUSTERS-CPR.com or (309) 750-0777.