Anthony Prater B.S. '80

Anthony Prater receives UW-Whitewater 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement

Written by Dave Fidlin | Photos submitted   

Anthony Prater first enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the fall of 1977 with plans to pursue a degree in business. 

While he ultimately graduated in 1980 with a degree in political science, much of Prater’s subsequent professional life did indeed point back to business. One of his most notable achievements was a company he co-founded with Michael Foley. Their firm, Verity Medical, Inc., grew rapidly and achieved a $10 million revenue run rate within a decade of its founding. That company was ultimately sold to Examworks, Inc. and continues to operate today.

This spring, Prater is among the recipients receiving the UW-Whitewater Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement. The recognition is given to graduates who have exhibited distinguished professional, personal and career achievement, and for being recognized for accomplishments in their field.

Looking back to those early days of establishing Verity, Prater notes he and his business partner took a tremendous leap of faith in launching the company, which carved out a niche as a leading provider within the healthcare marketplace of independent medical consulting services.

“There was a lot of risk,” Prater said, as he reflected on the conversations and subsequent encouragement he received from wife Erika and sons Andrew and Aaron before the company was founded in mid-2001.

A combination of factors, Prater said, led to the sustained, consistent success he and Foley enjoyed as they built Verity — a company inspired by the Latin word “veritas,” or truth — up through its sale in late 2010.   

“The company just took off. It was much better than either of us ever imagined,” Prater said. “We underestimated the size of the potential market. Within the first year, we had already surpassed our sales goals for the second year.”

The building blocks of personal and professional life, which Prater said includes his time as a UW-Whitewater student, helped instill within him the confidence and skills to roll up his sleeves and put sweat equity into a true labor of love decades later. The myriad professional roles he held before the business launch also played an important piece of the puzzle.

“All of the different things I did gave me range. It meant that I could solve problems in a variety of different ways,” Prater said, speaking to his collegiate and professional accomplishments. “I wasn’t an expert in any one thing, but being a generalist helped me become a good entrepreneur and business leader.”

Speaking specifically to his formative time on campus, Prater adds, “Whitewater was absolutely a game-changer for myself and for my family. I absolutely loved being there.”   

After graduating magna cum laude, Prater furthered his education at Southern Illinois University, where he attended graduate school, and subsequently went on to work in an assortment of business and marketing positions. His last corporate role was as regional sales director with National Healthcare Resources Inc. 

When he partnered up with Foley to launch Verity, Prater said the unrelenting core principles of providing quality service and products to the company’s customer base were essential to the clear-minded vision that was established. 

“We were very fortunate with our timing,” Prater said, in retrospect. “We caught this industry right in a sweet spot to really grow this business. The demand for the services that we had just increased during the time that we had the business.”

Throughout their ownership in the business, Prater and Foley continued to invest back into the business, including a strategic focus on the people they employed.

“Many of the people who worked for the company then still work for ExamWorks today,” Prater said. “That’s a good statement about how things went.”

Prater’s professional achievements also include co-founding and serving as a past president of the Wisconsin Worker’s Compensation Forum, which is an education-focused organization that supports industry professionals. The nonprofit, which still exists today, holds a series of symposiums and raises funds for various charities. Prater said he takes pleasure in knowing the organization continues being shepherded by capable leaders in the industry. 

“It’s nice to know that they are still going strong, and they are still raising money.”

Prater, who is retired, continues to maintain ties to UW-Whitewater. He and Erika fund the Prater Family Scholarship, which is available to students majoring in the College of Letters and Sciences at UW-Whitewater. He is a frequent class speaker for the management department in the College of Business and Economics. 

He also has given back to the university as a member of the College of Letters and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. Prater also has given of his time and talent as a judge for the CEO Elevator Pitch and Business Plan competitions that are held on campus.

“I absolutely loved my time at Whitewater. I have nothing but great things to say about it,” Prater said. “It’s nice knowing that today, Whitewater is still developing some phenomenal kids.”