Since Forcura founder and CEO Craig Mandeville showed his idea for a software platform at a trade show in 2012 in Orlando, the company has grown to 82 full-time employees and more than 400 health care provider customers in all 50 states.
Forcura manages document workflow and provides secure communication for post-acute care providers.
“Our mission is to empower patient care and make sure information is transferred in real time,” Mandeville said Oct. 1 during a virtual meeting of JAX Chamber’s Health Council.
Forcura software allows all of a patient’s medical documents and records to seamlessly transfer to health care providers as the patient’s care evolves, from the hospital to a skilled care facility, then to their home and even to hospice or palliative care, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has helped the company grow.
Mandeville said the staff began exclusively working remotely March 15. The company has since hired 14 people and plans to add five more within a month, he said.
The health quarantine aspect of dealing with the novel coronavirus also has led to faster adoption of telehealth and patient diversion from residential facilities to home care.
“The industry has taken on an appreciation of health care in the home. We’re growing faster now than in the history of the company, despite the global pandemic,” Mandeville said.
Bringing new people into the company while everyone is working at home instead of in a central office presented challenges, said Jocelyn Donahue, Forcura vice president of people, who joined Mandeville for the presentation.
The process is faithful to the company’s pre-COVID philosophy.
“We don’t hire people unless they are passionate, bold, innovative and fun,” Donahue said.
The remote working environment led to creation of what she calls the “Culture Team” that works to promote “virtual esprit de corps” that fills the void created by the loss of personal contact in the workplace.
“It’s a breeding ground for excellent ideas to improve engagement,” Donahue said.
There’s a weekly virtual guided meditation that Forcura calls “Mindfulness Monday.” The cutest dog contest is on Tuesdays. The company also provides virtual cooking classes, had a virtual 5K run and delivers Forcura-branded swag to the staff every Wednesday.
“It’s all about creating moments,” Donahue said.
One of the moments was when the company shipped everyone a “cocktail package” with all the ingredients to make watermelon margaritas, guided by a virtual bartender, Mandeville said.
He said he expects the company to continue to grow by as many as 200 people in the next several years. When the staff returns to working in the office, Forcura will move into its new headquarters in the Deerwood South office park at Butler and Southside boulevards.
The city issued a permit in August for the $1 million build-out of 27,000 square feet of space at Deerwood, about double the company’s current space. Work should be finished this month.
Forcura announced May 27 it will add 115 jobs by the end of 2022 and open a new headquarters in the city with help from an economic development agreement that City Council unanimously approved in March.
According to a city Office of Economic Development project summary, the company requested $690,000 in incentives. It will receive a $6,000 tax refund per job. The state will pay 80% of the total incentive and the city will pay 20%.
The 115 jobs will have an average annual wage of $71,663.
Forcura will invest $2.15 million in real estate improvements, information technology equipment, furniture and fixtures.
Its expanded 30,000-square-foot headquarters is at 10151 Deerwood Park Blvd. Forcura now leases at 4600 Touchton Road in the Deerwood North office complex.
