Brooklyn's Progress
September 2004

“Hard work, dedication and striving for excellence” is how Daniel Cheatham describes the keys to his success at Health Plus.  And, his advice seems credible.  Since he began working at the Brooklyn-based managed care organization in May of 2002, he has been promoted twice – going from a marketing representative to supervising his own marketing team.

“From the beginning we saw in Daniel potential.  So we began to groom him for leadership,” says Al Simmons, Marketing Manager and Mr. Cheatham’s current supervisor.  “Daniel has always risen to the occasion.”

The story began in early 2001 when Daniel Cheatham, who originally grew up in Coney Island, returned to New York after working briefly in the retail sector in Utah.  He worked for a year as a counselor for the Nassau County Mental Health Association.  “I needed a change.  I couldn’t be chained to a desk anymore,” Mr. Cheatham says.  He returned to Brooklyn and began the search for a more fulfilling career by registering with an employment program run by the Concera Corporation. 

It was through the Concera Corporation, now called New York Job Partners, a nationwide provider of employment services with offices in Downtown Brooklyn, that Mr. Cheatham was referred to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Good Help program for the Health Plus marketing position.  Good Help is the Chamber’s free staffing service that helps companies find qualified employees.  Good Help, which has been operating since 1998, expects to make its 1,000th job placement early next year – a milestone for the program.  Good Help has been working with HealthPlus to staff for various positions since 2001.

“I remember Daniel.  He was shy at first, but once he opened up during the interview, he convinced us that he could be an effective marketing representative,” says Shauna Wheatt, Good Help’s Workforce Development Specialist who interviewed Mr. Cheatham.  He was on his way to beginning a new career in community marketing for Health Plus – working the neighborhoods of northern Brooklyn that he became so familiar with as a child.

Health Plus, a non-profit multi-cultural organization that promotes healthier lives through three managed health care plans, covers over 250,000 people throughout the five boroughs.  The Health Plus Provider Network offers a choice of over 3,300 primary care providers and over 10,600 specialists. The network includes over 360 neighborhood health centers, over 2,100 private offices and 67 hospitals.

“At first it was definitely an adjustment.  But I was part of a good team.” says Mr. Cheatham about his first few months on the job.  Within a year, however, he was promoted to senior marketing representative.  His colleagues also voted him team leader. 
 
According to Tom Early, Health Plus Chief Executive Officer, 80 percent of all promotions are from within the organization.  “Providing career ladder opportunities for our employees is a strong part of our organizational culture,” says Mr. Early.

Daniel Cheatham has been climbing the Health Plus career ladder. In June, Mr. Cheatham was promoted to marketing supervisor, leading the team he began with just two years ago.  As part of his new responsibilities, Mr. Cheatham helps develop new marketing strategies and he is also responsible for training new representatives.  Because he has come up through the ranks in the organization, he feels he is well positioned to mentor new staff members.  His advice to new team members – “Don’t be shy.  And you must enjoy what you do in order to be successful.”

Mr. Cheatham is grateful for the opportunities he has been given at Health Plus.  And he is also thankful to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce for making the connection.  “The people at the Chamber were definitely helpful.  They took an interest in my career, they weren’t just focusing on a specific job.  They matched my skills to an opportunity that enabled me to reach my potential,” he says.

According to Randolph Peers, the Chamber’s Vice President for Economic Development, Good Help’s success at making placements starts with conducting an appropriate assessment.  “Good Help is a business service.  In order for the program to work, we first have to fully understand the needs of the employer.  But we must also assess the career interests of the applicant.  When both elements are in place, the process works perfectly, creating the right match between employer and employee,” says Mr. Peers.

And if Mr. Cheatham’s success is an indication, the process worked out perfectly for Health Plus.