Shannon Ralston had a fleeting thought to start her own business in the summer of 2002 while she was standing in the middle of a medication room preparing the noon meds for her patients. In 2002, as a single mom and an experienced Registered Nurse with a bachelor’s degree, Ralston had to work two jobs to make ends meet. She worked on staff as a bone marrow transplant nurse at one hospital, and for a second job, worked for a supplemental staffing agency and picked up shifts at another San Antonio hospital. Ralston had a solid education, but it was in nursing, not in business.
She took the plunge and the risk and opened up Angel Staffing. The business began with one contract at the San Antonio Veterans Hospital. Given the difficulty of obtaining contracts as a new company, this very important first opportunity was as a subcontractor. Angel Staffing obtained its first small private “prime” contract in early 2004 at a small local facility. The VA subcontract was challenging and had endless opportunities to add new employees to the firm; they relied heavily on the “angels.” Angel Staffing’s early success stemmed from its dedication to customer service and its ability to retain employees, a difficult task given the intense competition in today’s healthcare market.
The astounding success of Angel Staffing can bee seen in the initial year of operation sales of $1.6 million and an average of 43 employees. Although 2004 was a very tough year, the sales neared $1.7 million with 57 average employees. Success is something to be savored and is only fully appreciated when one has been on the other end of success and hit rock bottom. Shannon did just that because of a business partner divorce that spanned 2004 and 2005.
Sales in 2005, albeit the most difficult year of Ralston’s life, reached $2.2 million and over 20 new employees join the firm for a total of 80+. 2006 proved to be a pivotal year and reflected in revenues of $4.9 million. In this same period, Angel Staffing grew to 200+ employees, with a combination of part–time and full–time medical professionals.
This past year of 2007 brought many government awards and private facility opportunities, and the current employee total is over 300. The sales of Angel Staffing reached $7.2 million, and Angel Staffing added physicians, medical transcriptionist, medical records, clerks, techs and advanced–practice nursing professionals, among several other ancillary support service providers. Angel Staffing looks forward to a very dynamic 2008 and has started the year with a new corporate identity and a new website to be revealed in April 2008.
Ralston wanted to put down roots in the community, and Angel Staffing purchased and moved into a 2,200 square foot office in Stone Oak in late 2006. The future of this business and positive contributions to the community are always at the heart of Ralston’s short–term and long–term goals. Doing business at the next level means being prepared, and Ralston has implemented the following to take Angel Staffing to that next level. A complete software suite that is remotely accessible for all clients. The software tracks all schedules and staff–specific credentialing and enables clients to submit request and check employee information from their desks at the respective facility. Ralston offers the most comprehensive benefits package to ALL her employees, including retirement savings plans. The company even covers supplemental mental health benefits for the highly stressed Burn Unit RNs that includes counseling and massages.
Ralston realizes that quality healthcare providers are hard to find, and when she finds them, she treats them well. Her employees enjoy fringe benefits and impromptu generosity throughout the year. All Angel Staffing medical professionals receive the highest wages in the regional market and are offered pay raises yearly. All of this has created a superior customer service level unique to Angel Staffing. Its focus on the employee also has enabled it to far exceed the performance of its competitors.
Angel Staffing is involved in the community in many different ways. It received the United Way of Bexar County Small Business of the Year Award for Volunteerism for 2005–2006. Ralston was named one of the “Top 100 Businesswomen in Texas” in 2006. The 37th Contracting Squadron at Lackland AFB, Wilford Hall Medical Center, also recently named Angel Staffing “Contractor of the Year 2007”. The company is the Coordinator for Volunteer Nursing Professionals through the MVCC (Medical Volunteer Coordination Committee) for the City of San Antonio. Angel Staffingis so committed to medical volunteers for man–made and natural disasters that they have formed a division named “Angel Volunteers,”which provides qualified nursing professional for medical mobile units that respond to all disasters throughout the state of Texas.
Ralston has personal drive that continually inspires all those around her. Angel Staffing has a clear path for continued successand the creation of high paying jobs for the community. She is an active and contributing member of the San Antonio business community and belongs to the American Staffing Association, Stone Oak Business Association and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and she serves as the staffing director for the Incident Management Team of the BCFS Emergency Management Command.
