SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH), a $240+ million health services company which launched in California more than 25 years ago and today employs over 1,000 people, announced that it will open a new office in Carmel, IN by second quarter 2014, and will establish its national corporate headquarters there. ASH expects that the expansion will create upwards of 300 new jobs for the Indianapolis region by 2014, and further anticipates that staffing will grow to more than 675 positions by 2016.
In its initial phase, ASH will occupy 16,362 square feet of office space at the Carmel Tech Center beginning in September 2013 while upgrades are made to the 72,693 square-foot headquarters office at Hamilton Crossing III. The building renovations will include a new data center and other interior design and configuration updates on four floors of the building. ASH anticipates a second quarter 2014 grand opening for the new headquarters office.
According to ASH co-founder, Chairman and CEO George DeVries, the opening of the Carmel office is part of a five-year strategic plan that called for ASH to develop redundancy offices in three distinct geographic regions nationally and split its operations, IT, customer service and call center teams equally at each site. The company opened an office in Southlake (Dallas), TX in July 2012, where it now employs 150 people. ASH will maintain its office in San Diego, which had been its corporate office location for more than 25 years.
"Although ASH was conceived in California, has always been a California company and will continue to have one foot planted in the Golden State, we had a lot of good reasons for bringing an office and our corporate headquarters to the Indianapolis region," said DeVries. "First, ASH has grown from a regional company into a national company, and Carmel provides a central location with good proximity to our clients across the nation. Additionally, the cost of doing business is significantly lower in Indiana than in many other states. Also, the state of Indiana is strongly pro-business and offers an advantageous business climate with significant business incentives. And finally, the low cost of housing and living, as well as a family-oriented environment in Carmel and Indianapolis offer our employees a great place to live and work."
While ASH will be investing $10 million in its relocation to Carmel, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation has offered ASH up to $11,500,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $250,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until the employees are actually hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.
DeVries said he anticipates that at least 50 jobs at the new Carmel office will be filled by current employees from the San Diego and Dallas operations centers. The remainder of the jobs in operations, customer service, health coaching, client services, claims, IT and program solutions will be filled through recruitment in the Indianapolis region over the next year. Interested applicants may learn more by visiting www.ashcompanies.com.
ASH operates 13 corporate subsidiaries that offer specialty health network management, population health and fitness programs to employer groups, health plans and insurance companies nationwide. Privately held, ASH reported revenue of $221 million last year, up 64 percent from 2009, when the company first appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of the country's Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies. The company was recently named to the Inc. 5,000 list for its fifth consecutive year.
ASH also has been honored with a variety of awards and recognition through the years including recognition from the National Business Group on Health as a "Best Employers for a Healthy Lifestyle" Gold, one of the "Healthiest Employers in San Diego" by the San Diego Business Journal, and one of the Best Places to Work in San Diego by both San Diego Magazine and the San Diego Business Journal. The company has also been named among the "100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare magazine.
DeVries, who received his high school degree from the Culver Academies in Culver, IN and currently sits on its Board of Trustees, is a nationally recognized entrepreneur in the health services industry. Considered an early expert in the integration of complementary health care into third-party reimbursement, DeVries was appointed by President Clinton in 2000 to serve on the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. Other key honors bestowed on him include:
- San Diego Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award in Wellness, 2013
- 50 Distinguished Alumni Award, University of California-San Diego (UCSD), 2011
- America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Innovators Award, 2004
- Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year for Health Sciences, 2000
- San Diego Entrepreneur of the Year for Health Sciences, 1997
- 21st Century National Leadership Award from Impact Urban America
Money magazine last year named Carmel, IN its No. 1 "Best Place to Live" among mid-sized U.S. cities.
Chris Carmen from Carmen Realty, Indianapolis, represented ASH on the commercial lease. The Hamilton Crossing Building is owned by Duke Realty.
About American Specialty Health
American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH) is one of the nation's premier independent and privately-owned specialty health services organizations, providing fitness, population health and specialty health network programs for health plans, insurance carriers and employer groups. ASH has offices in San Diego, CA, Southlake, TX, Indianapolis, IN and Columbia, SC. ASH has more than 1,000 employees and administers services for more than 34 million members nationwide. Additional products offered through ASH and its subsidiaries include Healthyroads®, Silver&Fit®, FitnessCoach™, Active&Fit®, ExerciseRewardsTM and others. For more information about ASH, visit www.ASHCompanies.com or call 800-848-3555. Follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter at @ASHCompanies.