Hosted by Quint Studer with special guests Shannon Heard and Kevin Graves

Many organizations depend on outside contractors for key components of their operations. Yet when outsourcing parts of your work, it can be a struggle to bring both teams together to create a seamless experience for everyone. Also, at times there can be a tendency to treat outside contractors like a commodity. Not only is this bad for the relationship, it also keeps you from maximizing outcomes. When managed well, these partnerships can lead to amazing results.

The current staffing shortage showcases just how valuable contractor partnerships can be. We need great partners more than ever! As healthcare organizations everywhere were stretched thin during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH) leaned on their strategic partnership with Aramark to hire and onboard almost 400 people in just 30 days to staff the entrances of their hospitals.

In this podcast, Kevin Graves from Baylor Scott & White and Shannon Heard from Aramark Healthcare + share best practices for how to integrate outside contractors and build a cohesive culture across large teams. You’ll learn:

• How to build a culture of collaboration where everyone feels like they’re part of the same team, even if they come from different organizations.
• How to engage contractors in conversations that make them feel like true partners, and why this is so important.
• How to leverage your relationship with partner organizations to bring in new resources and talent when things get tough.
• Why you should be using metrics to drive your decision-making process, and how this keeps decisions from being personal or emotional.
• How the Aramark culture helps them nurture incredible long-lasting partnerships that create a win-win for both organizations.

About Kevin Graves

Kevin Graves leads hospital and clinic operations in hospitality for Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH), the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas and one of the top 10 not-for-profit healthcare systems in the nation. He led the development and integration of BSWH Hospitality Services, resulting in over $31 million annualized savings, standardization of operating practices, and significant improvement in patient satisfaction.

About Shannon Heard

Shannon Heard is a healthcare executive who currently serves as regional vice president for Aramark Healthcare +. In partnership with Baylor Scott & White Health, Shannon has successfully led a workforce of over 3,500 team members throughout the state of Texas through the integration of hospitality services. During the merger of Baylor and Scott & White, Shannon was instrumental in bringing all related services under one umbrella of leadership, while implementing strategies to result in multi-million-dollar cost reductions and improving upon key performance metrics.