Dr. Aaron Rossi is the CEO of Reditus Laboratories and PAL Health Technologies, overseeing the growth, direction and success of the two Pekin-based companies. Reditus Laboratories is a full-service laboratory company with a heavy focus on molecular diagnostics, while PAL Health is a national leader in the fabrication of custom orthotics, shoe inserts, and other corrective foot and ankle devices. Under Dr. Rossi’s direction, both have garnered recognition for their above-and-beyond efforts to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
In early 2020, Dr. Rossi shifted the focus of Reditus Labs to processing COVID tests when there was a shortage of labs with the equipment needed to keep up with demand. At the same time, he was helping to combat the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed by frontline workers—shifting PAL Health’s manufacturing workforce to assemble face shields. Reditus Labs now processes 85 percent of the state’s COVID tests, working with companies, municipalities, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, health departments and other agencies to ensure that testing is available when needed. Dr. Rossi also has donated his time, money and staff to schools, businesses and other organizations that could not afford to pay for testing.
For these efforts, Reditus and PAL Health were together honored as the 2020 “COVID Courageous” Business of the Year by the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University. Earlier this year, Dr. Rossi presented a significant gift to the university to support technology commercialization services at the Turner Center. He also was honored by the Illinois House of Representatives for his contributions to public safety, community support and job creation efforts during the pandemic. As his two companies continue to grow, Dr. Rossi remains accessible and engaging—a hands-on visionary who leads by example, working in the trenches alongside his employees to do whatever is needed without hesitation. PM
