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This article was written for Greystone.Net by Jessica Levco, a freelance healthcare writer and event strategist.
In the blink of an eye, time goes by and everything that was “cutting edge” is suddenly “old school.” When Greystone.Net began 30 years ago, our earliest marketing materials were printed brochures and direct mail postcards, which occasionally got converted into PDFs to upload on our website. That was back in the day when AOL’s dial-up sign-in music still ruled the day. In those days, that was modern technology!
Oh, my oh my! How things have changed!
As we celebrate our 30th birthday this month (and we hope you’ll join us for birthday cake and champagne – and other fun surprises – at #HCIC26 in Orlando, Oct. 25-28), Kathy Divis, Greystone.Net’s president and Mike Schneider, executive vice president and partner, reflected on the company’s longevity.
Our team comes first
At a time when it seems like so many people change jobs every three years, that’s not true here. The average Greystone.Net employee has been with the company for 17 years. Divis adds, “And even when people retire or leave us, they never really go away, at least not entirely. Many former employees are now long-term friends, colleagues and partners.”
Divis and Schneider attribute the tenure to a few factors: we rarely work crazy hours, except during the craziness of our conference. Greystone’s staff often work remotely but still gather together a few days a week in the office. The two also make it a point to acknowledge major events in their employees’ lives, from birthdays to wedding anniversaries.
Oh, and one more thing: Company meetings aren’t a drag. They happen every other week and they’re short. Employees feel safe raising concerns without fear that doing so will derail the meeting.
“You give people a space to vent, ‘Here’s what’s bothering me or here’s what’s going on,’ but we also want to keep moving forward,” Divis says. “It’s not good when people bottle up how they are feeling about the work they are doing. We find that collective brainstorming helps solve problems while finding solutions and collaborating.”
Keep reinventing what you offer
Some of you might remember that back in the day, Greystone.Net ran a Webmaster Workshop series. These were smaller, regional “mini conferences” of 30 to 40 people who gathered in a hotel conference room to talk about the hot topics of the moment. That series, while loved, eventually ran its course post-Covid, but we’re bringing a similar concept back in 2027. This time, we’re launching an interactive, AI-focused 2-day intensive workshop in February. Interested in learning more about how to attend or participate? Send us an email.
You can’t buy brand trust
It has become even more apparent in recent months that brand trust is paramount to company growth and sustainability, whether you are a service company (like us) or a health system. Ensuring your company has brand trust and authority is important. If they don’t trust us, they won’t choose us and they won’t follow our advice! With that in mind, we believe in transparency and one way we achieve that is by not taking referral dollars from vendors. Of course, we have vendors who sponsor and exhibit at our conferences, but you can’t buy your way into sessions. Even if this might be a less profitable path in the short term, Schneider says this is the best approach to our vendor-agnostic consulting services. “You can trust that we’re looking for the best solution for your situation, not the best deal for us,” Schneider says.
Treat your community like family
Our conference lasts only three days each year, but we try to keep everyone engaged, year-round. Recently, we launched the HCIC Mentoring Program, which pairs experienced healthcare leaders with emerging professionals for a one-year commitment. Since 2011, the Healthcare Internet Hall of Fame has honored individuals and organizations that have made lasting contributions to our industry. We have an active LinkedIn community and offer free monthly webinars. And when it comes to our annual conference, we know that budgets can be tight, so we offer group discounts and scholarship opportunities, too.
And last but not least, we also have a group of FOGs (Friends of Greystone). So many of our past and current clients (and former employees) have crossed into the ranks of being FOGs, too. There is a FOG army throughout our industry — IYKYK — and we love you all.
“Our conference attendees aren’t just people who register, but people who we want to see again and again, year-after-year as a part of an evolving community,” Schneider says.
Thanks to each of you who has supported us over these 30 years. We are indebted to you, and it means more than you will ever know. See you at #HCIC26 in Orlando, Oct. 25-28 or hopefully, a bit sooner somewhere else along this journey.