10 Sep AGS Rehab Solutions – A Look Back at 20 Years
When I started this business in 1999, I could have never predicted that AGS would be celebrating such a significant milestone. I sat alone in the basement of my home with a desk built by my husband, a phone, and an old filing cabinet with a single file…and a keen desire to help people get back to work. My objective at the time was to have enough work for one person – me. Who would have thought that 20 years later there would be more than enough work for so many incredibly talented and committed people across the country? Celebrating this milestone and becoming a national organization of highly qualified and passionate people that deliver the most innovative and forward-thinking health management solutions is more than I could have imagined all those years ago in my basement. AGS has grown out of that basement, but the desire to put people first has remained the same.
Over the past twenty years, we have faced many challenges as all businesses do, but have had just as many accomplishments which we have celebrated. From moving into our first office to acquiring our first contract – we have been sure to stop and celebrate each milestone along the way with our staff, assessors and our customers.
Personally, being nominated and ranking on PROFIT/Chatelaine’s W100 Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs in 2015, was an extraordinary experience that I’ll never forget. AGS was honoured to receive the Canada Awards for Excellence Gold recognition in the Mental Health at Work® category in 2017. This was a result of the strides AGS made in mental health, including participating in the three-year Case Study project with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, when we implemented the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in our workplace. AGS made mental health a priority before it became recognized as the ‘right thing to do’, which positioned us to assist employers with implementing the Standard in their workplace and offering Mental Health First Aid training to address these issues. Earlier this year, a book titled The 5-Minute Recharge, 31 Proven Strategies to Refresh, Reset and Become the Boss of Your Day that I co-authored with Lynne Everatt was published. Once again, this elevated AGS’s profile as a leader in the mental health space. Showcasing our book on Breakfast Television, while our employees watched at the office over breakfast, was such a great feeling!
While in its infancy AGS was predominantly a ‘vocational rehabilitation’ company. We expanded our services to include clinical and medical assessments and disability management, as well as preventative training. This resulted in additional assessment and disability management contracts.
Although AGS has changed dramatically over the past twenty years, the tenets of our business remain constant. Our success depends entirely on two things: how well we serve our customers; and how well we treat our employees. We are constantly striving to meet our customers’ needs with practical and cost-effective solutions. We’ve always listened to what our customers’ needs are, adapted to them and, strived to take a leadership role in our profession.
Our customers once told us in a survey some years ago that they favoured AGS because we are responsive, innovative and committed. These are attributes we seek in potential employees as we continue to grow our team. It’s what has made AGS the truly unique company it is 20 years later. Our team is incredibly bright, motivated and hardworking. We operate like an extended family. As with all families, we have celebrated our successes together and helped each other during challenging times. We are filled with pride at what the AGS family has achieved and all that we have accomplished with our customers.
The success of AGS over the last 20 years is certainly gratifying to me, but the opportunity to share our knowledge with the industry and work with such phenomenal professionals for so many years has been even more rewarding. I look forward to the future with the AGS family, and to continuing to build on our foundation of unwavering passion for this industry while providing more innovative and quality solutions for the customers we love.
– Addie Greco-Sanchez, President
September 2019