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Health Information Associates celebrates milestone at Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia
In August 2012, Health Information Associates celebrated their 20th anniversary in high style at the Ritz-Carlton Resort, in Amelia Island, FL. Co-founder and CEO of HIA, Betsy Bailey, stood before 60 devoted employees and their guests, raised her glass and proudly proclaimed her vision for the future of the healthcare consulting company.
“This is my pledge: we will continue to grow – slowly and steadily – to meet the needs of our clients and to embrace the changes our industry is heading towards. We will keep in place our selective hiring practices to ensure HIA is truly the best in our industry. And most importantly, HIA will continue to provide you with a secure place to work and an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation for all you have committed to this company and its success. This alone is why I believe HIA has been so successful. No one of us is as smart as all of us are together!”
In five short years, Betsy’s vision has indeed become reality. The company has already expanded by 80 percent.
In March, HIA commemorated their 25th anniversary with a record 108 employees at the Salamander Resort, a 340-acre property nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains amid Virginia’s famed horse and wine country.
Due to an unusual Southeastern snow storm, HIA’s 100+ employees finally arrived at the opulent resort after a long day of travel delays. Eager to see their colleagues and friends, they quickly checked-in to their country estate designed rooms and reunited at the Equestrian Center for heavy hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, and fellowship. The lively evening concluded with S’mores and Stories around the fire.
HIA staff outside the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia
The second day’s agenda was even more full and entertaining as the one before. After a breakfast meeting including presentations by two nationally renowned motivational speakers, HIA staffers were divided into small groups according to their choice of Salamander’s unique team-building activities such as, “Tree Top Zip Tour,” “Equispective,” “Ultimate Falconry Experience,” Clay Shooting, “Survival 101,” “Brushes and Bellinis,” and a cooking competition similar to the reality TV series “Chopped.” Betsy challenged her people to “stretch themselves” by participating in an activity they had never tried before.
Later that evening, “the people behind the numbers” ate, laughed and shared their rewarding team building experiences. A local bluegrass band played lively music while everyone enjoyed a buffet dinner of regional cuisine.
After dinner, the Marketing team presented a sentimental video they produced which highlighted the evolution of the company (see below for video or click here).
To conclude the night’s events, Angie Christian, VP of Operations presented their visionary CEO with an album of hand-written thank-you letters from all the HIA staff.
Betsy was overwhelmed by the gesture. With tears in her eyes, she humbly thanked her loyal “work family” as well as her Father, co-founder of HIA, Deane Beamer, whom she thought was looking proudly down from Heaven at how their company had flourished.
Angie Christen, VP of Operations and Joel Shealy, VP of Business Development, give moving toast during the celebration.
Many of the corporate staff based in Pawleys Island, SC, were delighted to find a blanket of fresh snow covering the ground when they awoke the next morning.
It’s not a sight they often see at the beach. Anticipations were high for the scheduled downtime to sled and play in the snow.
That evening, the team got all dressed up for the grand finale of the anniversary celebration: an elegant five-course dinner and wine tasting overlooking the vineyards of Stone Tower Winery.
Between courses, Joel Shealy, VP of Business Development and Angie Christen both of whom have dedicated over 20 years to HIA, gave a moving speech and invited “the people behind the numbers” to raise their glasses in admiration of their passionate leader. They toasted not only to a quarter century milestone but also to the core values at the heart of HIA’s growth and success: Education, Experience, Integrity, and Commitment.
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