The following article appeared in the Ohio Business
Development Council's "Life in Ohio" Series, an online
publication of the Ohio Department of Development, in
March, 2010.
Click
http://bit.ly/c1c0oU for a direct link to the Web
site.
Life in Ohio: Q & A with Chris Boue, President and
CEO, CH Mack
Chris Boue is the president and chief executive
officer of CH Mack, Inc., a Cincinnati-based healthcare
technology company that develops and markets seamlessly
integrated medical management software.
As the healthcare industry continues to evolve toward
a more streamlined approach to individual patient care,
this technology enables healthcare and human services
organizations to improve quality of care and
dramatically reduce costs by making medical management
processes more efficient.
CH Mack's technology facilitates proactive care
management through a fully- integrated database of
member and provider information, coordinating all
interactions using Web-based workflow management. It
supports the real-time communication of information
between all members of a care team, inside and outside
the four walls of traditional healthcare settings.
After joining CH Mack in 2008, Boue rebranded the
company and its products to better position CH Mack for
growth within the care-management field it serves. As
technology and health care delivery continue to
converge, Boue intends to lead his company to pioneer
the health-technologies industry. I spoke with Boue
about why Ohio is an ideal place to build and grow a
business.
Q: What are the top three things that Ohio
uniquely offers that you feel have helped make your
business successful?
A: First of all, the Ohio employee work ethic is
tremendous. That coupled with a well-educated and
talented labor pool, and you have the basis for top
staff. Second, the supportive business relationships
here can be fantastic. The understanding in a
Midwestern-business relationship is that you give before
you receive, which allows you to form synergistic
relationships. I've found that CEOs with an abundance
mentality versus a scarcity mentality tend to succeed
faster. Third would have to be the great deal of
untapped resources and assets in Ohio. Having our
company headquartered in Cincinnati allows us to access
those assets, such as top qualified personnel,
reasonable wages and a ready infrastructure for growth.
Companies that come to Ohio and realize the value of
employees as partners, will benefit tremendously. I love
it when an employee tells me, “I want ownership.”
Q: The Ohio Promise is that you can achieve
professional success within the context of a fulfilling
life. Based on your experience, how authentic is the
promise?
A: The most successful people I've seen are those who
balance work, community and personal pursuits; such as
in the Oscar-nominated film, "Invictus". My takeaway was
that we all live in prisons of our own making. The
question is: How small is your cell? Ohioans in 2010
have to realize the vast potential that lies ahead for
anyone who is capable. Too many people have been
shell-shocked by the loss of a job and have given
themselves up to economic slavery. We have to break out
of that cell. With Ohio's talent and innovation
capability, we can break down unemployment faster than
other areas of the country.
Q: Thinking of people you know, share a story
of somebody in Ohio who, in your opinion, has excelled
in achieving both their professional and personal
aspirations.
A: John Pepper is a world-renowned business leader
known for his instrumental work with Procter and Gamble
and the Walt Disney Company. He's a man who comes from a
place of character and desire to do the right thing. I
have seen John take a company like P&G and lead it into
a highly successful organization (which he would say had
little to do with him), then come back and help to
reestablish credibility when it needed it most. He
doesn't tell you this; he just does it. He ensured
success as an organization with his work with the
Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati,
fighting to build the Center’s legacy quite like the
people the Center celebrates did for their liberty and
freedom. He’s definitely a man to emulate, preserving
and giving of himself in such significant ways.
Q: What business benefits do you feel CH Mack
realizes from having employees who achieve a positive
work-life balance?
A: Our company benefits from employees with a
positive work-life balance in two ways: focus and
competence. People who do not have a balanced
perspective tend to lack clear-cut priorities. If you
don't have priorities in other areas of your life, it's
tough to embrace a company's mission and vision. If
someone works for significance in life, not just
monetary success, he or she tends to have a better set
of priorities and focus on where to spend their energies
in a positive manner.
Q: Real estate professionals often say the
most important thing is “location, location, location.
”What are your thoughts on Ohio’s location and logistics
capabilities?
A: My wife is a real estate professional, and from
what I understand, Ohio real estate is very stable, and
a great investment. There's an extensive amount of value
here compared to other areas, both in residential and
commercial properties. In my previous company, we moved
part of our operations to Cincinnati to take advantage
of the vast communication and transit network of the
area. From a stable labor force to several airport hubs,
Ohio has what many companies need to be successful.
Q: What is the most unique thing you have
discovered about Ohio that you share with others?
A: Ohioans seem to have faith in working and
believing in the vision and goals of a leader. My staff
followed me into territories new to our company and
industry. They have had great courage in the face of a
downturn, and invested great faith in the company
leadership, knowing that we had their best interests in
mind when we told them that our company needed to either
grow or die. We have built a winning corporate climate
here. If you give your staff the ability to believe that
they can succeed, they will give you the gift of faith.
About CH Mack
CH Mack, Inc. is a healthcare technology solutions company, committed to helping our clients solve their business problems for the government and healthcare sectors. The company provides leading-edge technology that supports our core case management, disease management, utilization review and referral tools, among others. Built on a solid 16-year history, there are currently over 5000 users of Q Continuum System. Serving 96 clients and over seven million covered lives, CH Mack is dedicated to inspiring and delivering excellence that serves our clients, reshapes our industry and drives our vision.
CH Mack, Inc. is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Copyright 2009 CH Mack, Inc. Q Continuum System and MedCompass are registered trademarks of CH Mack, Inc.
