Phoenix Branch Gets Running Start

May 2005

OMNI's Phoenix Branch is off to a running start in an area that boasts more than 200 days of sunshine, beautiful desert scenery and thousands of retirees. However, branch administrator and chief mover Diane Tryggestad and her crew are doing anything but retiring. The first days of April were spent moving from the executive suites to its new location at 1430 E. Missouri Ave., Suite B225.

"The prospects in Phoenix are great. Since January 1-March 31, we've had 234 referrals. Recruitment efforts have been going well. A recent mailing that was hand-personalized to nurses and physical therapists drew a very warm response. One person said she receives lots of these mailings but looked at OMNI's because someone took the time to hand write it," Tryggestad said. "We believe our quick success was due to a very focused marketing effort" adds Shelley Donovan, Area Director of Sales and Marketing.

"The Community Liaisons, Patricia, Nadine and Denise kept their account list to approximately 40 accounts and saw them every week January - March. Our goal was to be the #1 home care provider in the Phoenix metro area at the end of our first year and we achieved that goal in the first 90 days! We are very proud of the dedication and hard work that the sales team put into making these record breaking times for OMNI in Arizona." One challenge the office faces is the sheer size of its coverage area.

"We cover all of Maricopa County - which is more than 9,200 square miles - and we'll probably end up with little satellite offices to help recruitment," Tryggestad said.

Because of the great distances involved the office has set up temporary drop points with UPS stores on the east and west sides of Phoenix. "Our caregivers can drop paperwork off at drop boxes and we can either pick them up or have it sent overnight to us," she said. In the meantime, Tryggestad is waiting on a couple of deliveries - some desks this week and two grandchildren in the fall.