The Myers Group develops surveys for successful healthcare
Sometimes, it's good to quit your day job.
"I wanted to strike out on my own and develop my company," says A.C. Myers, founder of The Myers Group, a healthcare market research company in Snellville.
Myers founded the company in 1993. The part-time company worked with HMOs to conduct healthcare quality surveys of their patients.
Myers decided to start his own venture after years of working in hospitals. "I'm an entrepreneur and an engineer at heart," he says. "I've done many things over the years."
In 1997, Myers decided to leave his day job with the Gwinnett Health System and concentrate full-time on The Myers Group. It didn't take long to realize the potential of the business.
"It really took off when we made a full-time venture of it," he says. "It's grown from a virtual company with a handful of individuals in the garage to a professional staff of about 45 full-time people." Profits have also soared - Myers estimates that the company's profits grow about 25 percent per year.
With a rigorous set of process management systems in place to track the millions of mailed surveys, and the hundreds of thousands of phone surveys, capability to sustain growth is assured.
The Myers Group has grown to about 150 clients in 43 states, assisting them with mail-administered, telephone, and Web-based surveys.
It's the specific niche market that Myers cites as one of the secrets to the company's success.
"One big thing has been a very focused approach to our specific niche," Myers says. "Rather than focusing on a broad set of services to everyone, we focus on becoming very good at a specialized service."
Careful attention to detail also helps the group compete with a half-dozen other companies in the market. "There are a lot of details that assure outcome," Myers says. "We hire and train a professional staff that is detail-oriented and able to multitask." Nine out of 10 staff members have at least bachelor's degrees.
During the peak months of March through June, the company employs up to 150 high school seniors from Gwinnett schools to man the call center and conduct the phone surveys. "The response has been very positive," Myers says. "There are a number of individuals who go on to team leader or supervisory positions in the call center." The company offers six to 10 academic scholarships to the students.
Myers acknowledges another key to success - keeping up employee morale. To that end, The Myers Group has an on-site mini-fitness center to combat fatigue and keep everyone in shape.
"The work here can be grueling," Myers says. "The employees really took to the notion of having a mini-center, as many don't want to work out at home, or join another gym. We also have a fitness coach who comes in twice a week." Myers also uses frequent company outings, such as Stone Mountain Park riverboat cruises, to keep employees happy and refreshed.
And with 95 percent retention rate of customers, it seems that The Myers Group isn't going anywhere. "I've been in the Snellville area for about 20 years," Myers states. "The labor pool of professionals is excellent, as are the lifestyle advantages. We're going to stay right here."
