Episode 43: Cultivating an Employer Brand + Establishing Core Values
Featuring Jason Borschow| Founder + CEO at Abarca health
Co-hosted by Endeavor Puerto Rico
We are privileged to have Jason Borschow, founder and CEO of Abarca Health with us on the show. In 2019, he was selected as Endeavor Puerto Rico's first Endeavor Entrepreneur and in 2018, EY named him Entrepreneur of the Year for the financial and insurance services segment in the Florida region. He started his career at Borschow Drug, which was founded by his grandfather in 1951 and acquired by Cardinal Health in 2008. Since then he has launched and grown Abarca and two other successful healthcare enterprises. And today, he talks about how In order to attract and retain top talent, you need a strong and distinct employer brand—which he believes is an extension of the corporate culture. He also discusses the value of an extraordinary talent strategy team and the power of a positive culture —which sets Abarca apart from a lot of organizations in the healthcare space. 'Abarcans,' as he calls his team, are encouraged to find new solutions, operate with full transparency, and focus on the experience and many have thought it was too good to be true. But that’s the Abarca way, and the results speak for themselves.
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EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
(04.07) Jessica Head asks, “What advice would you give to someone who is looking to build a corporate culture?
(04.30) Jason says, "Culture starts with the CEO. One has to live with the values and purpose of the organization and model it. Everyone in the organization can look up and say okay if the senior leadership if the CEO & Founder believes these things then it's safe for me to take some risks." “In Abarca, culture is a combination of two things: your purpose and your core values.”
(11.00) Jessica asks, “What role does culture play in attracting new employees?”
(11.11) Jason says, “Marketing means telling a story and that story needs to be authentic and aspirational. That’s what differentiates between culture and core values and that is where your employer brand takes on meaning.”
(15.00) Jessica asks, “You mentioned that Abarca’s has grown rapidly in just a few years, what’s your secret?”
(15.10) Jason says, “First, we have an extraordinary talent strategy team. They are relentlessly focused on developing our employer brand and recruiting people who are the right fit, in terms of skills, culture, and short and long term career objectives. Second, understanding the balance between internal talent acquisition people and external search ones is really important. Finally, having a structured tear interview process is critical.”
(19.00) Jessica asks, “As part of Abarca’s growth, you’ve been adding members to your leadership team. How do you approach finding someone at that level?”
(19.10) Jason answers, “We have multiple approaches. First one is we would like to find diamonds in the not so rough. Second, we hire about an equal part from the industry and totally different industries. Finally, finding the right executive search firm or firms to be your partner and to align this critical perceived talent.”
(27.58) Jessica asks, “What’s some of the best business advice you’ve ever received?”
(28.01) Jason says, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
ABOUT JASON BORSCHOW
In 2018, EY named him Entrepreneur of the Year for the financial and insurance services segment in the Florida region. In 2019, he was selected as Puerto Rico's first Endeavor Entrepreneur. He remains committed to the success of various non-profits organizations including Endeavor, ConPRometidos, and Foundation for Puerto Rico and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization.