Richard A. Penington
Richard A. Penington has successfully created high valuation in the healthcare sector through entrepreneurship, application of innovation technology and deployment of disruptive business models.
As the founder and CEO of Summit Health, Richard disrupted the employee wellness program industry. Wellness programs lower healthcare costs by helping employees adopt healthier lifestyles. Yet, many programs fell short of their goals because the counseling session did not occur during the screening appointment – when employees are most open to receiving coaching. Richard saw an opportunity to innovate. Summit Health developed a one session experience that transformed the industry and resulted in hyper-growth for Summit Health.
To enable this new process, Richard led the development of a proprietary Information Technology system that automated the deployment of tens of thousands of nurses and simplified the data collection & processing of millions of patient records. From 2004 through 2014, Summit Health achieved hyper-
In 2014, Quest Diagnostics, the world’s largest diagnostic laboratory, acquired Summit Health and Richard became the President of the Health & Wellness division.
In 2014, Richard was awarded the Ernst & Young Regional Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Richard’s distinguished 30-year career also includes successful executive leadership roles at IBM and Accenture.
In 2015, Richard increased his equity position in Penington Painting Company, a national commercial painting firm recognized for its high standards for safety, quality, and environmental awareness. Richard's strategic guidance has helped the firm achieve double-digit growth the past three years.
growth as it became the nation's leading provider of on-site wellness programs, including health screenings, immunizations, flu shots, coaching, and educational seminars. Richard saw the company grow from a few employees to more than 12,000 by 2014.
Richard earned Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. In 2016, Richard was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award by Purdue's Industrial Engineering college.
Richard has authored scholarly articles on Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), robotics and computer simulation. He is also a well-known author and speaker within the wellness industry.
Richard resides in Michigan and Arizona with his wife of over 25 years, Julie, and their 2 sons.