Thursday, January 15, 2009

ACG - January Speaker: Lew Little, CEO of Harden Healthcare

The Central Texas Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth continues to thrive as one of Austin's premier networking and business educational groups in town (and I do not just say this because I am on the board!).


ACG thrives as a direct result of attracting a great mixture of the best corporate speakers in the area. Month after month the "whose who" of C-Level executives address the ever growing crowds of the ACG membership.


This week 120+ professionals were in attendance to listen to Lew Little, CEO of Harden Healthcare.


Lew is an Austin native (not many of those around!) who is a local business legend. He has worked in a variety of roles in banking, investment/finance and now as the leader of one of the country's most talked about nursing home and home healthcare organizations.


Little gave up caffeine in April 2008, but you would never have know it from his energy presentation.


Much of the talk centered in on the history and recent growth of Harden Healthcare - along with information about the ever changing healthcare industry in the United States. However, Little peppered the information with nuggets of knowledge that can be applied to any company:

*"Deliver the right care and the rest falls into place".


*"Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are and they will make you look good".


*"Be aware of the threats in your industry and the economy"


*"All service businesses are personal"


Little went on to site the many areas of focus and strategy that have lead to his company's continued success:


persistence, positioning, improving the product offering, diversification, increased patient (client) satisfaction, developing and tending to company culture, investing in training and development of managers and staff, creating a sales culture, showing appreciation to employees, etc....


When asked about why Austin is a great place to grow a business, Little was fast to point out the great amenities of the city which make it an easy place to entice people to visit or relocate. He does hate the fact that you must change planes to get anywhere when traveling --- but we in Austin have had that problem for generations.

Harden Healthcare has been able to attract a top team of executives who now call Austin their home. It is continuing to grow and looks toward a very bright future.


Thanks to Lew Little for his inspiring and insightful presentation at ACG.


If you have never checked out the Association for Corporate Growth meetings in your city, you are missing out.


Have A Great Day.


thom

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