Studer opens door to new opportunities


  • January 22, 2016
  • /   Randy Hammer
  • /   studer-community-institute

Quint Studer announced his resignation Thursday from Studer Group, the Pensacola-based consulting company he launched 17 years ago.

“I just feel it’s the right time,” he said. “I spend so much time on the road, and Rishy has been wanting me to spend more time at home.”

Studer moved to Pensacola in 1996 and became president of Baptist Health Care. In 1999, he and his wife founded the Studer Group, which helps hospitals and organizations institute evidence-based leadership systems as a way to improve clinical and financial outcomes.

In 2015, Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group acquired Studer Group and its 235 employees for $325 million, creating a healthcare consulting organization with more than 1,500 employees.

In an interview with Carlos Gieseken at the Pensacola News Journal, Studer said that years ago former PNJ reporter Doug Haller had asked Studer what his long-term goal was.

“I said to some day be a full-time volunteer for the community.”

Studer also told the PNJ that he plans to focus his energy on:

The University of West Florida Center for Entrepreneurship, which received a $1 million gift from Studer and his wife, Rishy.

The Studer Community Institute, a non-profit Studer founded that focuses on research and initiatives to improve the Pensacola Metro’s quality of life.

The Blue Wahoos, a minor-league baseball team, of which he and Rishy are part owners and helped bring to Pensacola.

The Greater Pensacola Entrepreneur Fund, a micro-loan program geared to help start-ups and small businesses.

And the proposed down apartment project at the former site of the PNJ building.

Studer also told the PNJ that his involvement in Pensacola will only grow. He pointed to the $50,000 in awards he and Rishy will give to the best proposals to improve kindergarten readiness in Escambia County.

The Studers also recently invested $2 million in Janesville, Wis., where they have children and family ties.

Rishy Studer left Studer Group several years ago to focus on revitalizing Belmont-Devilliers and the northern corners of Palafox and Main streets She founded the Bodacious and SoGourmet shops on Palafox. The development helped launch the SoGo District, which has become one of the most active areas inside Pensacola for locally owned retail businesses.

In a letter to Studer Group employees on Thursday, Studer said it was an emotional decision for him to leave the company, and that he loved working with the employees.

“I am very grateful of the contribution Studer Group employees have made to improving health care around the world,” he said. “But the timing was right and Rishy and I are excited to see what doors will open up us as we journey forward.”

Here's Quint's letter to Studer Group:

I felt that this was the right time to step away from Studer Group.

It has been a wonderful 17 years working with the best team in the world. Through their dedication and commitment, we have had a tremendous impact on the quality of healthcare by making it better for employees to work, physicians to practice medicine and patients to receive care. The recent work to improve public education is thrilling.

We have grown the company to over 250 employees, many of which live in the Pensacola area. We now work with hospitals and healthcare systems around the country, as well as Australia and Canada; and provide coaching tools to schools and universities through Studer Education.

With Debbie Ritchie as the president, I’m confident about the future of Studer Group and its place in this community. The Pensacola area provides a wealth of passionate and talented people which helped build Studer Group.

Rishy and I are excited about our future, too. Rishy left Studer Group several years ago to focus on revitalizing Belmont-DeVilliers and the northern corners of Palafox and Main. Five Sisters Blues Café has become a catalyst for redevelopment in that historic neighborhood. SoGo has become one of the most active areas inside Pensacola for locally-owned retail businesses. And of course Rishy and I, along with Bubba Watson, continue to stay committed to the Blue Wahoos and Wahoos life.

The Studer Community Institute completed its busiest year since its inception, and I plan to devote more time with Randy Hammer and his team to keep the conversation alive about how we improve learning for children and growing jobs.

The Studer Properties with Andrew Rothfeder at the helm has several projects on the drawing board that I would like to get off the ground, such as the downtown apartments and a new office building.

And we remain committed to launching the UWF Center for Entrepreneurship as well as the Greater Pensacola Entrepreneur Fund. We’ve already begun planning our second EntreCon.

We have our work in Janesville, Wisconsin that also needs our focus as we build Bodacious North and some other projects we're looking into there.

Leaving Studer Group is emotional for me. I’ve loved working with a team of true “Firestarters,” and I’m very grateful of the contribution Studer Group employees have made to improving health care around the world.

But the timing was right and Rishy and I are excited to see what doors will open up to us as we journey forward.

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