It didn’t exactly have a Wall Street beginning, but Professional Services is truly an American dream. Founded 52 years ago, Leonard Levy launched the business out of his garage in the suburbs of New York, investing $2,500—his entire life savings.

Ira Levy, Professional Services’ president, was only a youngster when his father started the company, but he remembers everything. “This company was built with conviction and a great deal of determination,” said Levy. His father passed away in 1968, but the last 38 years of Levy’s life has been dedicated to continuing this dream. “My father and our beginnings are very much a part of the fabric of this organization today.”

Infusing passion
Professional Services, headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., is an outsourcing company that provides facilities management and dining services to hospitals and long-term care facilities. Facilities management services include housekeeping, plant operations, and the repair of medical equipment.

In the last 60 days, along with securing a contract with the well-known Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Professional Services has been asked to serve at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Towson, Md. as well as Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala. “We’re only 52 years young, and we’re on the launching pad just waiting to take off,” Levy said.

The passion that started with Levy’s father has infused itself into Professional Services’ delivery and execution. Its customer retention rate is a whopping 99% in the last three years, which is an extraordinary feat in any industry, according to Levy.

“We’re in a unique position because we compete against three companies that have managed sales revenue in excess of $10 billion annually,” said the president. “Our company’s managed sales volume is $150 million annually, and that’s our competitive edge.”

Levy sees Professional Services’ competitors like the General Motors of the world—large, corporate America. “They are fine organizations, but they lost sight of what’s important,” he explained. “They identify themselves as serving their shareholders and outside investors and have forgotten that their purpose for existing is to bring added value and comfort to the patients and residents they serve at the many institutions they have contracted with.”

Quality assurance
Because Professional Services is a privately held organization, senior leadership is intimately involved with the delivery of service. “My availability to our clients is my most important job,” Levy said. The company services about 75 healthcare institutions throughout the East Coast and Midwest. On an annual basis, Levy, along with Steve Barnett, COO, personally visit more than half of their clients.

To go even further, Levy ensures top-notch customer service by serving the client with more than just a promise. Professional Services has management teams at each client facility, and from its corporate headquarters, its regional operations managers are responsible for overseeing about seven to eight facilities each. “They visit the facilities continuously throughout the year, providing quality assurance, leadership, staff training, and performance evaluations for the management teams on site,” Levy explained.

This is unlike its larger competitors in that their regional operations managers have, on average, 12 to 15 institutions to oversee, while Professional Services has half as many. “Their ability to truly provide leadership and quality service on a frequent basis is questionable because their loads are excessive,” said the president.

Personalizing the job
Professional Services employs and manages an estimated 5,000 people, and Levy noted that its success is based on attracting and retaining the best people in the industry. “Our people are our corporate treasure. We’re finding that our reputation is such that people are seeking us out. People know of our reputation, and they want to be part of this dream.”

Every new manager receives a personal phone call from Levy within a month of his or her hire. “I personally welcome them to this company. I incentivize them, and we set goals together. I’m truly reaching out to new employees and giving them a presidential welcome,” he said.

Levy expects the company to grow at a rate greater than 25% this year, and he attributes that growth to hiring the right people, giving them opportunities to grow professionally, and giving them a stake in the business.

“Our roots—our humble beginnings—are very much our North Star that keeps us on track. We’re so committed to excellence and service that we are prepared to put our fees at risk, based on results. We’re confident in our ability to deliver. This has been a great journey, and the best is yet to come,” Levy concluded.