Healthcare staffing agency Health Carousel was recently named one of 2016’s top 10 fastest-growing staffing firms by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). CEO Bill DeVille chocks his company’s success up to a driven, engaged team, savvy technology decisions, and a modern communication strategy. Read on for more insight.
Why did you start Health Carousel?
To start a successful company, you need to find a good market. When I was deciding what direction to go, I noticed two megatrends developing: the expansion of the healthcare market and the rise of the contingent worker. This made healthcare staffing a particularly good place to be.
I started Health Carousel in 2004, and since then, these two trends have continued. Largely due to the Affordable Care Act and aging Baby Boomers, the healthcare sector is expanding rapidly — it’s expected to make up 20% of the GDP by 2020. And the ‘Uberization’ of the worker is one of the most significant macrotrends in our current economy.
What were the main factors that drove your success over the last year?
It’s no surprise that the healthcare staffing market is white hot. And we’re outperforming even industry-standard growth rates — we’ve had a 100% growth rate for the last four years. There are three primary factors driving our success: our people, our use of technology, and our communications strategy.
First, we’re dedicated to putting the right people in the right chairs. We’ve built a great culture that’s a magnet for both internal and external talent. Our in-house team is motivated and engaged, and they’re all great believers in our mission.
Second, we make sure the technology we use helps us to work faster, more effectively, and more efficiently. So, we’re 100% mobile, which frees our team from their desks. We have the latest computer systems, which helps us work faster and more efficiently. And we use marketing automation software, which keeps our messaging on point and expands our outreach.
And finally, we have a very significant push to leverage technology to communicate with our target audience. We know it’s not always convenient for our clinicians to talk on the phone. It’s crucial that we communicate in ways that satisfy our clinical staff. So, we do a lot with email, text messaging, and social media. And what’s more, we measure the effectiveness of our all of our outreach efforts and adjust to each individual’s needs.
What are your biggest day-to-day challenges?
We have more demand than we’re able to satisfy. There’s a big war for talent, and everyone is fighting over the same finite supply. So, we’re recruiting in a very competitive environment.
Also, our growth rate itself presents a challenge — we’re continually developing, moving, growing into new office spaces. We’ve hired more than 90 people just this year, so we are constantly recruiting, interviewing, and training to bring new employees up to speed on the company and our culture.
What inspires your team?
Our team is motivated by the opportunity to do something great. There’s a social mission to improve patient care in the United States, and we are a part of that. Clinical staff are dedicated to saving lives, improving the quality of patient care in a tangible way. By sourcing the best talent, we have an opportunity to be a part of that larger mission. We’re driven simply by making other people’s lives better.
How would you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style is probably a little unusual for a CEO — I’m a collaborative delegator. I think most CEOs want to control everything and want to be in charge, but I’m pretty happy to delegate.
I believe that if you want to get the best results you need to have buy-in from your team. They need to help build strategy. They need to create the future and culture of the company, to take pride in it. So, I spend my time supporting my team’s initiatives, helping them solve complex challenges, and making sure we have strategic alignment.
What do you think sets your company apart?
Let’s be honest – typical staffing company offices are not known for being very progressive or modern. The office space design and the employment culture may not be very employee-centric.
We’re driven to be the opposite of that.
Our office space is welcoming, progressive, and collaborative. Our office designs incorporate innovative elements, such as open office designs with polished concrete floors, exposed ceilings, huddle areas with comfortable seating, glass walls on private offices, and dual monitors on every desk. Our culture is also progressive and collaborative. Our team has a shared vision, and everyone feels involved and their voices are heard.
We’re dedicated to working hard and playing hard. We just finished a Summer Olympics competition to see which of our teams could reach 55,000 steps first. We encourage volunteerism, and sometimes we hold spontaneous planking contests. We strive to be one of the best places to work, and that includes being one of the most fun places to work.
We strive to attract and retain the best talent. Once people come to work for us, we are proud to say that they rarely leave.
About Health Carousel
In October 2004, Health Carousel recognized the workforce challenges facing U.S. healthcare organizations and developed solutions to help them manage these challenges effectively. Today, Health Carousel provides Locum Tenens, Travel Nursing, and International Staffing solutions for some of America’s leading healthcare organizations. With growth rates of more than 50% each of the last five years, Health Carousel was recognized as “Fast 55 Growing Company” (Cincinnati Business Courier), ranked as one of the Fastest Growing Healthcare Staffing Companies in the US (Staffing Industry Analysts), and one of the Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in the United States (inc 5000). In addition, Health Carousel was recognized as a “Top Places to Work” in Cincinnati (Cincinnati Enquirer).
Health Carousel operates separately branded divisions that offer distinct services to help U.S. healthcare organizations meet temporary and long-term hiring needs. Each service line is Joint Commission certified, which is the standard of quality for healthcare staffing companies.
- PassportUSA (PPUSA) is one of the leading international staffing companies in the US. PPUSA helps its clients throughout the United States to build its long-term workforce and overcome the shortage and maldistribution of qualified US healthcare professionals by providing foreign-trained registered nurses, rehabilitation therapists, and medical laboratory professionals on a long-term contract-to-hire basis. PPUSA expands the domestic labor pool by sourcing US qualified healthcare professionals from outside the US. PPUSA maintains affiliate offices in Manila and Cebu Philippines, and an agent network in key source countries around the globe.
- Tailored Healthcare Staffing (THS) provides travel staffing solutions to help some of the nation’s leading hospital organizations meet temporary hiring needs due to seasonal demand fluctuations, leaves of absence, and projects. THS has been recognized as a Top Travel Nursing company by two leading authorities (Travel Nurse Central & Highway Hypodermics).
- Next Medical Staffing (NMS) provides locum tenens and direct placement of physicians, advanced practice nurses, and allied health professionals as well as travel nurse staffing for healthcare organizations across the country.
Looking for more? Check out the entire fastest-growing staffing firm series.
