Minnesota, according to Inc. Magazine has the highest amount of business revenue growth in the country. The 85 companies who made the Inc. 5000 list in Minnesota had a combined growth rate of 321.4 percent and Lifespark was among this list of those fastest-growing companies in America for the second year in a row, earning a position at 4575 and one of the 5 top health industry performers in the state. What lands a company on the Inc. 5000 list? Inc. 5000 said, “One metric: revenue growth from 2014 to 2017.”
So how does a home care company in Minnesota make Inc. 5000’s coveted list of entrepreneurs two years in a row? Simply put – we’re changing the healthcare system. That’s according to Lifespark CEO and founder, Joel Theisen, RN, who is committed to ‘mold break’ the perverse acute, reactive payment system that delivers what we call ‘health care.’ “The U.S. has a ‘sick care’ system and as a result, our work to redefine the senior care experience is a constant battle against the established companies that benefit from the old mold,” explained Joel. “At Lifespark, our mission is to redesign the experience by empowering people to build their own pathways to whole person wellbeing, and spark their lives!”
“We are honored to be recognized among thought-leaders in our industry but also among some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in America who are creating jobs and innovative services for people,” said Joel.
For Lifespark though, this honor highlights the types of healthcare organizations gaining recognition on this list – many of whom are no longer the traditional health or home care companies but organizations like Lifespark who know whole person options are increasingly resonating with people by creating better outcomes, lower long-term costs, and sparked lives.
“It’s what we all want, person-centered care that sees the individual, not their medical diagnosis, and helps them live healthier, more independent lives,” said Joel. “When we live and breathe in a system that delivers on that, we all win.”
While most of the companies that top the list have national brand recognition and growth from locations across the country, Lifespark has for years been a locally owned business in Minnesota and only recently expanding beyond the state to provide whole person senior care in Utah. Earlier this year, Lifespark partnered with Intermountain Healthcare to launch a new life care model for seniors that is designed to keep them healthy and living fuller, more independent lives while significantly reducing emergency room and hospital visits. The partnership called Homespire, is helping to ‘break the mold’ in Utah with Lifespark’s plug-n-play whole person senior care model. “There’s really no single source in the community anymore that helps address outside factors like social isolation on an ongoing basis and the number of family members available to provide care give continues to shrink,” said Joel who is also Homespire’s CEO. “Both Homespire and Lifespark are filing that gap in the care to our aging population.”
To sustain growth we also can’t lose sight of the people who are at the center of providing whole person senior care. This honor is also about them – ‘culture trumps strategy’ as Joel often points out and Lifespark’s award-winning culture proves that the right people filled with purpose and passion are able to inspire and achieve results for seniors. “We’re lucky to have a sparked culture and passionate visionaries on our team to continue our mission,” said Joel. “These are exciting times to be in healthcare – the time has come to disrupt the aging experience for employees, partners, and most importantly the clients we serve.”