About this episode
Corey Busta, owner of Lift Assist in Chico, California, started the company in October 2021 at age 21 with no transportation background and went roughly two months without a single call before his first ride that December. He grew through workers compensation brokers, then Medi-Cal credentialing and Modivcare, ending 2022 with five or six vehicles and three or four drivers, and now runs about 35 vehicles and 45 employees. Broker work is roughly 90 percent of trips, and the growth forced three office moves in two years.
Key takeaways
- The first ride, in December 2021, came from an organic Google search after a website, paid ads and even a radio spot produced nothing. Busta was the only provider in the area.
- By the end of 2022 Lift Assist ran five or six vehicles and three or four drivers besides Busta. Today it is about 35 vehicles and roughly 45 employees.
- Broker work is about 90 percent of trips. When broker volume plateaued, Busta chased facilities and a regional center contract, and tried schools, where he has had no success yet.
- Leaving his first insurance broker for one specializing in NEMT cut premiums in half across every vehicle, and gave him someone who could answer industry questions.
- Growth forced three office moves in two years. He would sign a one year lease and need something bigger six months later, driven by yard space and office headcount.
Chapters
- 0:00 Introduction & Corey’s early background
- 1:25 Launching Lift Assist & securing the first private ride
- 2:44 Landing the first Skilled Nursing Facility contract
- 4:44 Scaling growth with Medicaid Brokers & Modivcare
- 6:53 Managing hyper-growth: Reaching 35 vehicles & 45 employees
- 8:19 Overcoming severe operational growing pains & office expansions
- 11:47 Future goals and expansion plans for Lift Assist
- 13:23 Crucial advice for new NEMT owners & avoiding insurance pitfalls
- 15:35 Strategies for hiring experienced NEMT drivers and staff
- 16:38 The ROI of networking at the NEMTAC Conference
- 17:59 Upgrading NEMT dispatch software: Transitioning to Bambi
