Shay Kerman’s legacy is to leave things better than she found them. “We all can leave a legacy if we focus on benefiting others,” said Kerman, the president and COO of AFC Urgent Care. “By building a caring, connected culture in the workplace, we can help develop the next generation of leadership, which in turn, produces benefits in the broader community by empowering leaders to do good work.”
AFC Urgent Care aims to be the most valued and trusted Urgent Care Group in Colorado. The organization will achieve this by exceeding the expectations of every patient in providing excellent patient care and keeping visit times to a minimum.
The organizational culture at AFC Urgent Care emphasizes trust, transparency and open communication, said Kerman, a Hall of Fame Titan 100. “We strive to inject purpose into work and help employees make a contribution that goes beyond the job,” she said. “When employees feel invested in the company’s greater purpose, they tend to be more dedicated and productive, and beyond profit incentives, today’s corporations also have a responsibility to unite teams to address bigger goals.”
Delivering on these values becomes essential, said Kerman. “It must go beyond words and translate into actions that live up to the ideals,” she said. “Upholding these values requires persistent effort and vigilance.”
According to Kerman, organizations that stick to their principles position themselves to attract talent, strengthen retention, focus teams on shared goals and build reservoirs of goodwill that sustain operations – even during unpredictable events. “While chasing short-term profits may garner quick capital returns, investing in cultural integrity delivers longer-term, compounded dividends.”
Under Kerman’s leadership, AFC Urgent Care has seen longer-term, compounded dividends in action with growth that catapulted from 40 employees and three locations five years ago to seven locations and more than 150 employees. The firm is also launching a lab testing facility and has created connections to a number of nonprofit companies in the community. In the coming years, Kerman said the organization will increase its focus on creating the next generation of great leaders.
“Leadership isn’t about wielding power; it’s about unleashing that power in others,” said Kerman. “The people in our company are the pillars and how we differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Our current team will be the future leaders in our industry, so we need to build an environment where they can thrive and feel fulfilled.”
