HealthBar appoints new executive leader

Martin Axelrod. Courtesy HealthBar

A Grand Rapids-based provider of custom health care services added a new member to its leadership team.

HealthBar last week appointed Martin Axelrod to the new position of director of finance and general counsel.

With the growth of the company’s Healthcare Partnership Program and statewide School Nursing Program, Axelrod will work to establish new tools, processes, hiring decisions and strategic partners for HealthBar.

“As a company, we’re entering the next phase of strategy and organizational maturity, which requires specific expertise and knowledge that we previously didn’t have,” said Nathan Baar, founder and CEO of HealthBar. “Martin will bring this and much more to the table assisting us in embracing these next opportunities.”

Axelrod is a corporate attorney with a diverse career. Prior to attending law school, he worked in sales management and consulting at IBM, in sales and trading for a global investment bank, in software development lifecycle quality and testing, and as a relationship manager and lead adviser for a private bank’s wealth management team.

Before joining the HealthBar team, Axelrod worked as an attorney at a Michigan-based national law firm and handled contract negotiation and drafting, corporate governance, commercial real estate and financing transactions.

“I am excited about the opportunity to join the HealthBar team and bring the depth and breadth of my experiences to the table to enable our growth,” Axelrod said. “Our nurse-driven movement at HealthBar is not just changing the health care landscape in West Michigan, but across the entire state and, eventually, the entire country. I am grateful to be a part of this world-class team.”

Axelrod teaches business ethics at Grand Valley State University and serves as a board member for the CFA Society West Michigan, previously as president and now as chair of advocacy.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and master’s degree in finance from Northwestern University. He holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws in corporate law and finance from Western Michigan University.