Each year, thousands of risk management professionals from around the world flock to the RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition for professional development and networking opportunities.
ReEmployAbility Co-Founders Frances Ford and Debra Livingston said they look forward to attending the conference every year because it gives them an opportunity to interact and connect with many of their nationwide clients they may not normally have an opportunity to see.
This year’s conference is envisioned to be a sentimental one for the founding duo, as it will be held in San Diego, the same city that hosted the first conference they attended as a young company in 2008.
As Livingston reminisced about their first trip, she said that, in a way, this year’s event will bring the company full circle.
“Back when we started our business, we were little fish in this huge pond,” she explained. “We were trying to make a name for ourselves and attract people to us. As we have now progressed in our business, it is exciting to go back to where it all started and to now have people seeking us out. It is a very different experience for us today than it was eight years ago.”
This year the pair will be joined by Vice President of Sales, Kelly Lawless, and two Account Executives, Davida Bloomberg and Mary Bennett.
Lawless shares the same nostalgic enthusiasm as Ford and Livingston as the 2008 conference was her first RIMS conference as well.
“I was very new to the company having only been on-board for a few months,” Lawless said, as she recalled being encouraged though she and the owners had no idea what to expect as first time vendors. “That first year did not disappoint on any level – from the opening cocktail party and entertainment, to business opportunities, to the scenic setting of San Diego itself – and we have attended every conference since.”
The team agrees that RIMS does an amazing job capturing the essence of the many cities that are hosting. From the Cirque du Soleil act in San Diego to a trip to the Mardi Gras museum in New Orleans, they look forward to what is in store during the opening ceremony every year.
“The music, culture, food, art and entertainment that the conference has always been able to capture in every city is continuously outstanding,” Bennett said.
Bloomberg added that her favorite memory took place a couple of years ago, “I was sitting with my co-workers and some other industry leaders after the opening night at the L.A. conference, and we just had an amazing, bonding moment,” she said. “We enjoyed some great conversations and randomly broke out into song, singing Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’”
Though the RIMS conference is an exciting opportunity for the team to network and interact with risk professionals around the globe, it also provides an opportunity to showcase the many highly beneficial services that ReEmployAbility has to offer.
“It is very important to have a growing presence at RIMS every year,” Bennett said. “We are currently the industry leader thanks to our Transition2Work program. Attendees love to learn what is new in the industry and that curiosity always leads them to our booth because we set the industry standard and they want to make an impact on their bottom line when it comes to workers’ comp and non-occupational disability claims. We can help them do that.”
Every year, ReEmployAbilty looks for new and exciting ways to stay ahead of the curve. Livingston explained that attendees are always seeking out solutions to a main problem — return-to-work. She explained that ReEmployAbility has consistently been the solution for the past nine years.
“We’re excited to exhibit this year, because we have expanded our services and we hope to meet with the attendees and explain all of the new enhancements and improvements to our services,” Ford said.
One enhancement includes an innovative, telephone-based electronic time tracking service as a new option for clients. Electronic Time Tracking allows injured employees to clock in and out for each shift by calling a toll free number from the nonprofit agency’s landline telephone. Employers are able to receive immediate online access to employee time records via a secure login, providing accurate and timely records of each employee’s activity during the Transition2Work nonprofit assignment.
Thanks to consistent growth, the company launched a new Client Services Department, allowing clients a more in-depth and personal experience. The department serves as the first point of contact to introduce the company’s Return-to-Work services, such as Transition2Work, and provides consultation and support to clients as they implement the company’s programs. In addition, the team provides ongoing support and conducts quality assurance.
And lastly, Lawless is excited to announce plans to expand the services into the Canadian market and is looking forward to connecting with companies who currently have Canadian exposure and hopefully potential Canadian clients.
“In 2016 we know that a lot of the attendees are looking for innovative, cost saving solutions to workers’ comp, return-to-work is a huge part of that. We’re proud to be the largest return-to-work company providing transitional duty and we look forward to speaking to our existing and future clients to explain the benefits of our services,” Ford concluded.
If you are attending RIMS ’16 April 10-13, stop by the ReEmployAbility booth — #1738 — in the main exhibit hall for exclusive opportunities.
