BILL FRIST WAS ALREADY THREE OR four careers deep-surgeon, senator, venture capitalist, environmentalist-when Brad Smith showed up at his doorstep in 2008 in Princeton, New Jersey, where Frist was teaching. Smith was then a 26-year-old whose first job out of Harvard was chauffeur. Not for a limo service, but for Bob Corker, who was running for Frist's former job, U.S. senator from Tennessee. For two years, Smith drove Corker around the state, absorbing politics at the ground level. Following his election, Corker thought Frist might be a good person for Smith to know, particularly since both were interested in education policy, which Smith had studied in grad school. "I went to see him, even slept on his couch, which saved me the hotel room," says Smith, who got a gig researching a book out of the meeting. But the meeting's big payoff, 15 years later, would be a place at the helm of the fastest-growing private company in America. In 2019, the two men co-founded CareBridge, a value-based health care management company whose revenue expanded a feverish 157,144 percent last year, to nearly $873 million, putting it atop the 2023 Inc. 5000. With revenue likely to surpass $2.5 billion this year, CareBridge may have a chance to defend its title. That's because some of the country's largest health insurance companies are hiring Care Bridge to care for Medicaid patients who receive home and community-based services.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Karen Dillon
I moved my wedding to attend a company offsite. It was a terrible decision, but a vital lesson on balance.
The Ultimate Home-Based Business
Thirty years since her breakout on Friends, Courteney Cox is taking on a new role-entrepreneur.
An Uphill Battle
Zwift has been through layoffs and a leadership change in 2024, but co-founder and CEO Eric Min says he's learned that building a startup, like cycling, is an endurance test.
The GLOW UP
How Glossier broke free from DTC, survived the skeptics, and finally achieved profitability.
The Snack That Gives Back
With a new partnership, SkinnyDipped is supporting women founders worldwide.
A New Path to SuCCESS
AllTrails may have achieved the impossible-an app that truly helps you get away from it all.
The Back-lash Survivors
Don't challenge Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Rodz to a game of highs and lows. The Hello Alice co-founders will win-by a long shot.
The Spa Surge
Prime IV Hydration & Wellness has successfully weathered stormy waters.
Riding the Waves
With Beehiiv, Tyler Denk built a buzzy newsletter platform and a brash online persona. Both are lucrative.
Home Economics
How Chairish brought the circular economy to furniture.