About Us  History |
Origins RYAN Associates was established by Frank H. Leone, President and CEO, in September 1985 as an independent educational and consulting firm devoted to the development of hospital-affiliated occupational health programs and free-standing occupational medicine practices. Ryan Associates was named after Mr. Leone’s only child, Ryan Leone, who was born on August 3, 1985. The company was initially based in Sudbury, Massachusetts, Mr. Leone’s home at the time. RYAN Associates relocated to Santa Barbara, California in May 1989. Education The late 1980s were punctuated by an annual series of one-day regional seminars on developing an occupational health program. During these years, regional seminars were conducted in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Raleigh, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Nashville, Pittsburg, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Anaheim/Newport Beach.
The first program featuring Comprehensive Training in Occupational Health Sales and Marketing was offered in Cleveland in 1988 before moving to a semi-permanent home in Chicago a year later. Sales Training is now a bi-annual event that has been offered in recent years in San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, New Orleans, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Las Vegas, in addition to Chicago. Other RYAN Associates’ educational staples include the Occupational Health Program Fundamentals course (first offered in 1999) and the annual audio conference series, first offered in 2005. The N.A.O.H.P Moments after the end of our 1989 national conference in Washington, D.C., Roy Gerber, then Director of the Bethesda Occupational Health program in Cincinnati, advised Mr. Leone, “You had better start a national association before someone else does.” Six months later (May 1990), the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals (N.A.O.H.P.) was born. The first editions of VISIONS, the periodical of the N.A.O.H.P. was launched shortly thereafter. The association quickly grew to more than 2,000 members and has stabilized at roughly that number over the past 18 years. From the outset, the N.A.O.H.P. has even supported by a strong national board representing every region of the country, in addition to two at-large seats and a President. Mike Mercado was the first NAOHP President, serving from 2002 to 2005. Joe Hymes subsequently became President and will complete his three-year term in December 2008. Ms. Jewels Merckling is President-elect for the 2009-2011 Board term. Consulting As a result of the original regional seminar programs, numerous consulting opportunities arose for Mr. Leone, then a sole proprietor. Consulting services soon evolved to become a central focus for RYAN Associates. During the past 23 years, RYAN Associates has completed more than 600 consulting engagements with more than 400 clients in 46 different states (we are missing only New Mexico, Utah, Alaska, and Hawaii). As the field became more mature and complex, RYAN Associates added two full-time consultants. Two gifted and experienced consultants joined RYAN Associates in the late 1990s and have remained with us during the past decade. Ms. Donna Lee Gardner joined RYAN Associates in 1998 and Mr. Roy Gerber (previously mentioned joined RYAN Associates in 1999. Both arrived with approximately 20 years of industry experience. Publications Upon the inception of the N.A.O.H.P., Ms. Karen O’Hara joined RYAN Associates in order to serve as editor of VISIONS, the Association’s bi-monthly newsletter. Given Ms. O’Hara experience and talent as a journalist, other publications soon followed: the Workers’ Compensation Managed Care Bulletin, which was transitioned to Occupational Health Strategies in 2002; Partners, a newsletter for employers that promotes strong provider-employer relations, now in its 16h year of publication; and the Occupational Medicine Clinical Care Update, now in its 15th year. Ms. O’Hara has served as Senior Vice President with broad responsibility for consulting services and educational program design and coordination. Mr. Leone joined the stable of editors in 2002 with the establishment of the monthly Occupational Health Sales and Marketing Advisor. RYAN Associates also developed two manuals on CD with more than 475 pages of forms, templates and checklists in 2007. Both CDs, Incorporating Occupational Health Services into an Urgent Care Practice: A Comprehensive Guide and the Complete Resource Guide to Occupational Health Program Management, have been very well received. A third version for Emergency Departments is under development. Support Personnel RYAN associates has been blessed with a plethora of able and dedicated support personnel over the years. Elaine McArthur, Sonja Ball, Mindy Bailey, Carly Sjvold, Leah Spain, Judy Hawkins, Elizabeth Richards, Victoria McDonall, Jennifer Powell, Leyla Amiri, Kristin August, Melissa Mathews, Angeli Mancuso and (currently) Megan Montana and Rachel Stengel have all provided extraordinary full-time support over the years. Two additional senior professionals, Cheryl Counts and Jayne Rudberg, also served as key personnel over a period of many years. |
