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The Culture That Made Her Stay
When Irma Casella moved from Montreal to Sarasota in January 2015, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
What stood out to her wasn’t a product, a project, or a business milestone.
It was the people.
“I would say definitely the people,” Irma says. “The people I met on the floor.”
Coming from a larger corporate environment, Irma noticed something different about the Sarasota team. There was a strong sense of community, but also a sense of ownership. People didn’t simply show up to do a job. They felt connected to what the company was trying to accomplish.
“It was more than just the job to them,” she says. “It was obvious employees had a strong connection to our mission.”
That sense of connection became one of the things Irma valued most about the company.
Over the years, she saw that culture continue to develop. Teams became more connected, employees were given greater ownership, and people across the organization learned to work together toward shared goals.
She also saw that same sense of connection extend beyond the walls of the company.
Irma fondly remembers the HPSN years, when customers would return year after year, not just for the event, but to reconnect with the team and with one another. The connections went far beyond familiar faces; they were genuine friendships built over the years. Customers would ask about each other’s children and families, hugs were exchanged everywhere you turned, and there was always a real sense of excitement about being together again. She remembers customers often saying, “You guys have the best teams and the best parties!” It was that sense of community and those lasting relationships that made HPSN so special.
For Irma, that isn’t a coincidence.
She believes customers recognize the same authenticity and sense of community that drew her to Sarasota in the first place.
“They feel it,” she says.
Today, Irma is approaching 30 years with the company. She started in January 1997 and has been part of its journey through METI, CAE Healthcare, and now Elevate Healthcare.
Through all those changes, one thing has remained especially meaningful to her: the people.
“The culture of the company and that strong connection to our mission, I think that’s massive,” Irma says. “that’s what kept me in here for sure. We have so much more work to do to make the world safer and people want to be a part of that”
Thirty years can be measured in products, milestones, and moments of innovation. But for Irma, the lasting story is simpler.
It is the people who create a sense of belonging, take ownership in the mission, and make a company somewhere worth staying.