By Shane Reeves, PharmD, CEO
Last week gave me one of those rare opportunities to stop and consider just how far TwelveStone Health Partners has come.
On Tuesday, several members of our team joined me in Nashville as TwelveStone was recognized as the #6 fastest-growing company by the Nashville Business Journal, with 63.3% growth over the past year and 163.8% over three years. Awards are meaningful, and I am incredibly proud of this one. But what struck me most wasn’t the number six. It was the question behind it:
How did we get here?
The answer is our people, our purpose and a willingness to keep growing without losing sight of why we exist. The following day, I facilitated one of our monthly New Employee Orientations with 13 impressive new team members. For the first time, I had employees from Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi all together on the same call.
That moment may have said more about our growth than any ranking ever could.
TwelveStone is expanding geographically, but our real challenge is not simply opening more locations or serving more communities. It is ensuring that the culture that got us here grows right alongside the organization.
We have always believed healthcare should begin with the patient. That sounds obvious, but healthcare organizations can easily become centered around processes, systems, reimbursement and operational demands. Those things matter. But they are not the reason we come to work every morning. Patients are.
As we grow, our responsibility is to make sure a patient walking into a TwelveStone center tomorrow experiences the same compassion, attention and commitment that defined us when we were much smaller.
That takes intentionality.
It means hiring people who believe in our mission. It means creating an environment where team members support one another. It means remembering that growth is only worthwhile if it allows us to serve more people and serve them well. It also means giving back.
As of Friday, 80 members of the TwelveStone family were participating in our Rx4Him program, moving us closer to our goal of 95 participants by Labor Day. The program reflects something deeply important to me: success creates an obligation to help others.
This year, as we celebrate our past through our Harvest & Horizon theme, I find myself increasingly grateful for what God has allowed us to build and even more excited about what lies ahead. The harvest matters. We should celebrate the lives touched, the teammates who made it possible and the milestones along the way.
But we cannot spend too much time looking backward. There is still a horizon in front of us.
And if we continue putting patients first, investing in our people and staying faithful to our purpose, I believe TwelveStone’s most meaningful growth is still ahead.
