Uncovering the Human Story Behind Work That's Under the Radar
Unicon Medical Physics is an independently owned team of medical physicists serving hospitals, healthcare networks, imaging centers, and private practices across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
For nearly 40 years, the company has grown almost entirely through reputation and referrals. Through three owners, the team has maintained deep client relationships, rigorous technical standards, and a decidedly hands-on way of doing business.
But until recently, Unicon had never had an official online presence.
The Challenge
When Mike Cox took ownership of Unicon in 2023, he inherited a company with decades of credibility — but almost none of it was visible online.
That mattered as Unicon looked to grow beyond its traditional hospital relationships and reach smaller practices like dental offices, chiropractors, urgent cares, and other facilities with imaging equipment.
At the same time, the medical physics industry around them was changing. Independent firms were being acquired by private equity and rolled into larger national organizations. Meanwhile, Unicon had deliberately remained independent — preserving direct client relationships and a culture built around service rather than scale.
Over nearly 40 years, Unicon's story had evolved; it was finally time to document it.
The Moment
Mike contracted with Mark Wells of Antistatic Design to build Unicon's first website. As the wireframes progressed, a few practical questions surfaced:
Who would write the copy? What about headshots and photography?
Initially, Mike considered writing the copy himself, perhaps using AI to help. But doing it well meant figuring out the structure, the message, and what actually made Unicon different — all while running the company.
For Mike, getting it right the first time mattered more than doing it himself.
The Process
Through a customized version of our Connection Catalyst™ process, we combined photography, Story Discovery, and website copy to uncover and articulate the story behind Unicon's work.
See the Story
A brand photoshoot paired with individual headshots at a local hospital gave us the chance to not only document Unicon's work, but understand the highly technical what of medical physics before we tried to tackle the why.
For several hours, we watched the physicists at work — observing the precision of the process, photographing collaboration, and listening as the team explained a field that, until then, was unfamiliar and abstract.
Then, one moment — one snapshot — brought immediate clarity.
As we watched one of Unicon’s physicists demonstrate how an ultrasound machine is tested, the familiar black-and-white image appeared on the screen. As two moms, we knew that image from a very different perspective: seeing our own babies on an ultrasound screen.
Suddenly, the impact of Unicon's work was no longer abstract.
It was personal.
Shape the Story
Once we understood the work of medical physics, we could begin to uncover the why behind Unicon.
WorkLife Studios hosted in-depth conversations with Unicon’s leadership team, listening to what had brought the company to this moment in its history, how they viewed their own work and impact, and perhaps most significantly, what they hoped for its future.
Across conversations with legacy owners, the current owner, and long-tenured team members, patterns emerged. Yes, Unicon’s independence from private equity mattered. So did the depth of expertise across its team. But what really set them apart was how Unicon showed up for people.
Reports were delivered quickly. Clients had direct cell numbers for their physicists. Calls were answered when something went wrong. Regulatory updates were shared before clients needed to ask.
One team member described his job simply as helping make someone else’s job easier.
Another put the stakes of the work into perspective: “X-rays can be a cure for cancer and a cause of cancer. You’ve got to get it just right.”
Still, when the Unicon team talked about the people they served, they naturally focused on their immediate clients: radiology directors, imaging managers, and healthcare facilities.
Our outside perspective allowed us to push the story — and the team’s own perspective — one step further.
Behind every scan was a person trusting that the equipment was safe, accurate, and working exactly as it should.
In other words: Medical physics is the work. People are the purpose.
This perspective wasn't new to Unicon. Putting words around it was. As Mike reflected: As Mike reflected: “WorkLife Studios helped us put into words the perspective we already had. They helped capture that and put it into words in a way that we hadn’t specifically fleshed out before.” – Mike Cox
Share the Story
WorkLife Studios translated these insights into a comprehensive Brand Message Guide, giving Unicon a clear North Star, messaging pillars, and language to articulate what made the company different.
That strategy became the foundation for the website copy — carrying the story across Unicon’s services, history, audiences, and team.
It also influenced the direction of the website itself.
Antistatic had already created an initial grayscale wireframe before our involvement. As the story took shape, the site evolved with it — allowing the words and photography to inform the design rather than simply fitting the story into a predetermined structure.
Before launch, WorkLife Studios worked directly within the site to refine photography placement, ensuring the images supported both the story and readability of each page.
For a team of scientists whose work is rooted in precision, measurement, and technical expertise, it would have been easy to build a website around credentials, capabilities, and compliance. All of those things mattered. But they weren't the whole story.
The finished website didn't just explain the facts behind Unicon's work. It revealed the heart behind it, too.
Brand Message Guide
See more from the Brand Messaging Guide
The Transformation
Unicon had spent nearly 40 years building its reputation one relationship at a time.
The story was already there — in a Friday-afternoon phone call that actually got answered, a report sent before leaving the parking lot, a commitment to remaining independent, and a physicist quietly testing a machine before the next patient arrived.
Our job was to notice those moments and connect them into a meaningful narrative.
By launch, Unicon had:
- A clear narrative that connects highly technical work to its human impact
- Messaging that differentiates an independent, relationship-led firm in an increasingly consolidated industry
- Brand photography and team headshots grounded in the real people and work behind the company
- Website copy designed to speak to both longtime hospital clients and smaller practices Unicon hopes to reach
- A cohesive website where strategy, words, photography, and design work together
More website pages
The Results
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Unicon has an online presence that reflects the reputation it has already earned.
And Mike was able to get there without becoming the project's strategist, copywriter, and creative director himself.
“I wanted to do the website right the first time. For me, the single biggest relief was knowing it would be handled and done well. It was one less thing I needed to worry about or spend time on, and it kept us moving along rather than getting bogged down.”
Client Voice
Working with WorkLife Studios was a great experience for me and our entire team! They helped us with headshots, workplace photos, and all our website content. Every step of the process was completed smoothly and on time, and Sarah was always quick to answer questions and give suggestions to ensure the final product looked excellent. Partnering with WorkLife Studios helped put into words what makes our company unique and ensured that we got our website right the first time, while saving me a lot of time and headaches along the way.
The Takeaway
It's easy to assume human stories belong to businesses that are obviously people-facing. Unicon proves otherwise.
Their work is technical, precise, and largely unseen. But relationship-led doesn't always look relational from the outside. Sometimes it looks like answering the phone. Sometimes it's making someone else's job easier. And sometimes it's quietly testing a machine so a patient you'll never meet can trust that it's working exactly as it should.
Unicon didn't need us to add humanity to its story.
We just had to pay attention long enough to see where it was already there.
If your best story is buried beneath the technical details of what you do, we'd love to help you uncover it.
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