By Sadie Hess, Founder and CEO
25 Year Milestone
As many of you know, I started this company when I was 23 years old, so it seems impossible to believe that Compass has reached the 25-year milestone! Many years ago, when Joanne and I started Compass, we never could imagine that 2 companies would emerge, and we would have the privilege to serve thousands of people in ten different locations.
It is wild and wonderful to think that if I could go back and talk to the twenty-three-year-old girl, I would tell her to do it all again. Start a company. Follow her dreams. Dare to start an organization helping other people achieve their dreams. Yes, there are a few small decisions of people to hire or ways to spend money that I would change, but the big things I would keep EXACTLY the same. I would tell her to dive into the deep end of the pool and keep swimming for twenty-five years with employees that will become family and actual family (my mom, husband, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and kids!) will pour themselves into Compass as well.
Best Day of Their Life
This young me would probably not believe all the amazing people she would walk alongside, nor the retreats she would host. The retreats remain one of my most precious collections of memories. I hold as treasures the client victories and experiences and dreams we have been able to achieve on our annual retreats. I am so proud that in the middle of a pandemic, we brought back retreats and were able to have clients exclaim “it was the best day of their life”. We will continue this tradition next year and for the next twenty-five years. I will have a sea of stories.
Innovative, Creative, and Individualized Services
I truly cannot wait to see what the next twenty-five years will bring and feel honored to be on this lifelong adventure to create a service that will not only change clients’ lives but change an industry. We will lead the state in innovative, creative, and individualized services provided with excellence and love. People with disabilities deserve the best assistance we can provide, and we are determined to go further and do more in the next twenty-five. I encourage you to stick around with me for another twenty-five years. It will continue to be the ride of a lifetime.