A family affair.

We've all heard of sibling rivalry, but for the Reed family, the only competition they speak of is the one they wage with their competitors in teh medical products distribution business.

In 1989, with $30,000 in combined savings, Cynthia, Hamish and Arjester Reed launched Branches Medical Inc., a distributor of medical and surgical supplies that has offices in Lauderhill, Fla., Chicago and Miami. Cynthia, 30, is the company's president and chief financial officer; Hamish, 37, is its CEO; and Arjester, 38, is the chief operating officer.

Like most first-time business owners, this entreprenuerial trio had it rough in the beginning. "We had a hard time getting manufacturers to work with us," admits Hamish. "Now that we're 3 years old and have proven ourselves, manufacturers are willing to have us represent them."

Hamish says that Branches Medical, which posted $700,000 in sales in 1991, represents 70 manufacturers of health care products for hospitals, nursing homes and doctors' offices in Florida and Chicago. Some of those products include tongue depressors, crutches, pharmaceuticals and wheelchairs.

Although Hamish is the only Reed that has experience in the health care profession--Cynthia was a tax specialist and Arjester is a 15-year sales and marketing veteran--that has not hurt their five-employee company's marketing efforts: Branhes Medical recently won two contracts form Jackson Memorial Hospital in] Miami. The first was a $3.5 million contract to provide pharmaceuticals, and the second was an $800,000 job to sell surgical supplies and equipment. Branches Medical's Chicago office services 26 medical facilities operated by the Humana Surgery Centers in Chicago.