Atrion to share success strategies at Town Hall event

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 3/12/15

“Business owners like to focus on the problems with Rhode Island, but if they could just take a more positive outlook and be a bit more proactive, there is a lot we could do,” Tim Hebert, CEO of …

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Atrion to share success strategies at Town Hall event

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“Business owners like to focus on the problems with Rhode Island, but if they could just take a more positive outlook and be a bit more proactive, there is a lot we could do,” Tim Hebert, CEO of Atrion said in an interview Friday.

In hosting its first Town Hall Community Exclusive on March 18, Hebert and the Atrion team aim to help businesses take that first step towards improvement.

Atrion is an IT service provider with passion at the core of their business model. They have partnered with some of Rhode Island’s biggest corporations such as CVS and FM Global, with colleges and universities, such as Salve Regina, as well as numerous non-profits to fuse business with technology.

The Warwick-based company has had seven consecutive years with 25 to 30 percent growth. In 2014 they hired 60 people. In the early months of 2015 alone Atrion has had 24 new hires and hopes to employ another 80 within the next year.

Garry Foisy, senior director of strategic marketing, said, “We have been in a good place of building and expanding where most other businesses have been challenged with the opposite. We have never been afraid to share with others and have them learn from what we were doing.”

With the Town Hall Community Exclusive, Atrion wants to share the story of their successes to help other businesses improve during these rough economic times.

Foisy said that Atrion could keep their success for themselves, and “bask” in it, but rather, “to echo their ideology,” they want to reach out to the community in hopes their success story can help others.

He said, “We have a very strong ideology with vision, purpose and values. We want to have a positive impact on our community.”

“Rhode Island was hit very hard in the recession and our recovery has not been as strong, “Hebert said. “We still aren’t there just yet. Instead of complaining, business owners should take ownership, and instead of waiting for someone to fix something find their own creative solution and then share their success with others.”

For the Town Hall Exclusive Hebert, who will be opening the event, wants there to be an “organic conversation” concerning Atrion’s growth and for it to act as an educational forum for the various attendees.

Foisy said the company didn’t want to just issue a press release about their success or their new programs, but take an atypical route in announcing their plans for 2015.

At the event Atrion will introduce the newest members of their Apprenticeship Program as well as outline plans for Atrion Academy. The academy will be a “corporate university” that will act as a workforce development tool not only for Atrion but also for their clients, training individuals for various IT occupations.

Atrion’s Apprenticeship Program is already doing this on a smaller level with a year and 12-week long apprenticeships being certified for numerous techniques and operations.

Apprenticeship is something most often related to the trades, such as construction or plumbing, but Hebert believes that the hands-on and shadowing educational experience is just as beneficial in the IT industry, the first apprenticeship of its kind.

“Our program is more real world oriented and experiential. They work on cases either with clients or based on real client cases,” Hebert said. “With our apprenticeship program we are not only finding but also creating superior talent.”

He said that after the program apprentices could perform just as well or even better than others with three years of experience in the field.

Foisy said, “There is a difference between studying for an exam and studying to have a career, and we want people ready to have a career.”

Hebert said that one of the major issues their clients are concerned about is finding talented employees.

Foisy said, “The workforce gap is a validation that this is a real problem. Our clients are having a hard time hiring, maintaining and training talent.”

Atrion worked to create a talented workforce, and some of their apprentices even go on to work for some of their clients.

At the Town Hall meeting Hebert will discuss how companies can overcome the challenges that comes along with finding talent and also how “to cultivate exceptional talent.”

“To have a great business you need a good culture and to have a good culture you need amazing people. When people say they can’t find those amazing individuals we help them think in non-traditional ways,” Hebert said.

The Town Hall Community Exclusive will be held at the Atrion Headquarters in Warwick, 125 Metro Center Blvd., from 9:50 a.m. to 12 p.m., March 18. Clients, media and local officials have been invited to the event. There will be a tour of the facilities and a networking segment. For more information on Atrion, their services or the Town Hall Event visit their website at www.atrion.net.

THE ATRION WAY: Tim Hebert, CEO of Atrion (left) and Garry Foisy, senior director of strategic marketing (right) discuss their plans for the Town Hall Community Exclusive over a white board. The event on March 18 will share the story of Atrion’s success in hopes that other organizations can benefit from similar programs and initiatives. (Warwick Beacon photo)

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