Our nine-time INC 5000 recognition is because of you

By Rich Smith, 08-15-2024

Atlas MedStaff is recognized on the INC 5000 List for the ninth year in a row

By Rich Smith
Co-Founder / CMO, Atlas MedStaff

We made the Inc 5000 again! For the ninth time. 
Actually … that makes nine years in a row. 

I can tell you it doesn’t get old. It’s an honor. 

BUT…

You’ll see a lot of chest-beating here in the next few days. You’ve probably seen it already. Companies, specifically in our industry, LOVE to post that they made the Inc 5000 list. And they should, it’s a huge honor. It takes a ton of work. 

BUT…

It isn’t about them.
And it isn’t about us.

I’m not throwing stones. We have done that too. I’ve made the same mistakes. Our first and second year on the list I told everyone that would listen. I posted everywhere and said LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT US! 

But I’m older and wiser now. And I realize it has NOTHING to do with us, and EVERYTHING to do with you.

You put your trust in us. That trust equals contracts, and those contracts mean billable hours. And in our industry, billable hours equal revenue. That’s what the Inc 5000 list measures. Growth in revenue over a verified three-year window. 

‘Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it’ — Steve Prefontaine

I learned a long time ago that I’m not the smartest guy, or the most talented guy. If I wanted something, I had to go and outwork everyone else.

I’ve talked before about how my business partner Steve Ryan (Atlas President) and I would race each other to the (second) Medical Solutions office every morning all those years ago. It was a badge of honor to get there first, turn the lights on, make the coffee, and get on the phone first.

The same with Steve Seitner (Atlas COO).

I actually refused to learn his name in the beginning, fearing that might humanize him and we’d become friends. (It would be harder to outwork him if we were friends?)

But the three of us had a common goal. We’d scrap and claw for every submittal, watching each other every day, doing what we could to make each of those an interview and then a placement.

Building with heart — a.k.a. ‘Time to make the donuts’

But this isn’t a retrospective of our careers. You’ve heard those stories before. 

Again, this isn’t about us.

This is about you.

Every cold call, text message, and email that turns into a first conversation, then a submittal, interview, and (hopefully) a placement. It’s about you.

It’s about you and your journey. It’s about your career and your story.

This isn’t lost on me, or us. The more I look back on those early days with Steve and Steve*, the more I realized it was always about the traveler, even when we were competing with each other.

*[Editor’s Note: In the office, we often shorthand this to “Rich and the Steves.”]

Fast forward to the early days at Atlas and the story was the same. We still believe in those same things that bonded us. Atlas was built on the traveler.

We knew there was a better way.

Focus on the end user, the healthcare professional in the hospital, and everything else will fall into place.

This isn’t a new business idea: many others outside our industry have done the same thing. We were the first in our industry though, and I’m very proud of that. 

So instead of patting ourselves on the backs, we choose to thank all of you. 

You are the ones making the difference in the world, taking care of the people we love.

You are the reason we made this list for the ninth straight year. 

You are the ones that we want to thank.

For all those reasons, I am humbled. Thank you.

You are Atlas.