People often ask us how the name “Weatherby Locums” comes up when they’re searching for us online. That’s the brand name we launched when we added locum tenens to our original permanent placement business.
We’ve seen a lot of growth and added hundreds of amazing people to our team since then. Even so, the folks who have been with us since the beginning say the Weatherby family feeling is every bit as strong in 2018 as it was back in 1995. Here’s how Weatherby Locums became Weatherby Healthcare – and why it matters to the providers who do locums with us today.
People growth
From humble beginnings with 20 or 30 people, Weatherby Healthcare is now a top-tier locums company of over 650. Beverly Leonard, a VP on our executive team, recalls that only a handful of employees – maybe six or so – worked on locum tenens placements when she started her career with us.
“Weatherby began as a small family business, mainly working in permanent placement. Even though we only had a few people working on the locums side, our provider relationships were already so strong, CHG Healthcare decided to keep the locums brand separate when they acquired us in 2000.”
Process growth
In the beginning, our early team members had to fill multiple roles to make things work. Today, hundreds of Weatherby experts specialize in things like credentialing, travel, housing, client relations, and many other functions that give our providers a first-rate locums experience. One of our other VPs, Gregory Prine, says the growth from 20 or 30 employees to over 650 has been remarkable.
“We have quite a few folks here from the early days who remember when only one or two people worked in credentialing, and they handled everything including licensing and privileging. Now our credentialing team has more than 100 specialists, all focused on keeping our locums providers successful and worry-free.”
A bigger home to go with a bigger dream
Moving to our new headquarters in Fort Lauderdale a few years after being acquired by CHG Healthcare was a deeply symbolic move for our people.
For many of our early years, we operated out of an airplane hangar at the executive airport. Providers would call in and ask, “what’s that noise?” because they could sometimes hear planes revving up for takeoff in the background. We like to think of that as the sound of our business revving up, and we’re extremely grateful for all the providers and clients who are still with us from our hangar days.
Even though we’re in a larger space now (and somewhat quieter – today it’s us making the noise), the same family feeling is still with us. Both Gregory and Beverly attribute our growth and longevity to the company culture. Beverly said, “We’re proud of what we do and the company we work for.”
“We have fun together, but we also have a shared sense of urgency about the work we do. That shows up in the quality of the provider experience we’re able to deliver.” ~ Beverly Leonard
In keeping with the company’s overall growth tempo, we opened an office in Durham, North Carolina in 2001 to better serve the oncology specialties and internal medicine sub-specialties. The addition was a big success, and we moved to our current location in 2014 to gain more space and flexibility. This year we did a refresh on our second and fourth floors to add features like standing desks, a Zen room, updated training and conference spaces, and a Dreamwork employee development lounge. All of these ongoing updates contribute directly to a better customer experience for our providers and clients.
A commitment to putting people first
Weatherby consultants, and their business partners on the credentialing, housing, and travel teams, pride themselves on treating providers like family. They’re available any time to work through any questions or challenges that come up on assignment. Through all the growth the company has experienced in the last couple of decades, everyone has been intentional about preserving that family feeling.
Gregory and Beverly were both here at the time of the CHG acquisition, and they both saw the growth potential early on. Greg recalls, “I could see that it was going to be a good fit from the beginning. When I started this work, I was barely aware that the locum tenens business model existed, much less the rewarding career path that lay in front of me. CHG makes a difference by putting people first. The inspirational, hands-on example of their executives convinced me that Weatherby Healthcare was going to be my professional home.”
If you want to know how Weatherby Locums became Weatherby Healthcare as it exists today, the deeper reason is in the relationships we’ve built. Our people genuinely love coming to work, because they know they’re connecting expert providers with patients who might not otherwise get the care they need and deserve. It’s easy to love your job when you know you’re doing something that matters.
Some wacky competitions, great eats, off the hook office gatherings, and epic Halloween celebrations definitely make the journey a lot more fun.
