Partners HealthCare: Pooling Resources for Wider Community Reach

Partners HealthCare is a collaboration of healthcare institutions and professionals established to serve the local and global communities through patient care, teaching and research. Founded as a not-for-profit company in 1994, Partners is the result of the initial collaboration of its founding members, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

In order to carry out its community services, Partners has put up specialty and community hospitals, health centers and home care, established a physician network, and managed care organizations. Its teaching affiliate is the Harvard Medical School.

With close to 60,000 professionals and employees, Partners is Massachusetts’ largest private employer. It works on an annual budget of $1.4 billion, majority of which is spent on research. It founding members are still the largest recipients of the National Institutes of Health funding among private hospitals in the US.

Partners’ medical education programs are among the most competitive in the US. Partners offers over 200 residency and fellowship programs. Its training programs for physicians regularly rotate among the academic medical centers and the specialty and community hospitals.

Fairlife: Creating a Revolution in Milk Products

There is a worldwide clamor for healthier sources of protein. But this source is not just any healthy source of protein. It has to be lactose-free. It must contain little fat. Its texture must be silky smooth. It must contain natural honey. Is there such a source of protein as this?

Yes, there is. And the co-op of dairy farmers called Fairlife is producing such product: the Core Power. Core Power is actually a milk product. This high-nutrition milk drink contains 50% more natural protein and calcium but with 50% less sugar than the ordinary milk drink. Core Power is amazingly delicious, although it has zero protein powders.

Fairlife is the brainchild of Mike McCloskey, a veterinarian who became a farmer and entrepreneur. He leads a group of 92 independent dairy farmers whose families are committed to support sustainable and traceable agriculture. These farmers belong to busy families who wanted to be sure that they get better nutrition through the wholesome real drink they produce.

Using its proprietary membrane filtration process, Fairlife has revolutionized the dairy industry through the Core Power. Unlike traditional milk processing, Core Power passed through soft filters to produce concentrated nutrients like protein and calcium. Simultaneously, the process separates the fat and the sugar from the real milk.

Since Core Power comes from independent dairy farmers, the high standards of milk quality are maintained while not neglecting the importance of animal care and agricultural sustainability. This embodies Fairlife’s promise: “from grass to glass®” The cows at Fairlife live in clean barns. They walk freely on soft sand beds that surround their cages. They are looked after by passionate stewards that ensure they are protected from the wind, rain and snow.

As a pioneer in sustainable practices, Fairlife converts cow manure to power the fleet of 42 compressed natural gas milk truck at Fair Oaks farm. Fairlife demonstrates responsible family farming that uses less water while producing more of useful and sustainable products.

Bruker Corp: A Leader in Scientific Instruments

When it comes to scientific instruments, researchers and scientists alike cannot just settle for substandard quality of materials. They always trust the best there is like Bruker Corporation. Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the company is engaged in the manufacturing of scientific devices used in molecular and materials research.

The company has been around since the 1960 and has taken on huge research projects and produced products for global use. Among its notable products is the 21.0 Tesla FT-ICR MS which they built for the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Florida State University. The business is known as the parent company of Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies and the Bruker Scientific Instruments. The growth of Bruker is attributed to its strategic acquisition of similar businesses. Its last purchase was made in 2013 in the entity of Prairie Technologies.

This organization started in Germany and has now global operations. The company generates billions in annualized revenue and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ.

Choice Hotels International: Offering Tourists a Budget Friendly Travel and Lodging Experience

One of the million dollar businesses that is headquartered in Maryland is Choice Hotels International. The company is a hospitality business that holds its main office in Rockville, Maryland. The company serves as a parent business to numerous brand names that have a presence worldwide.

Thriving in the lodging and travel industry, the company has more than 6,300 locations around the world. They are the owners and operators of the motels Clarion, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Comfort Suites, Comfort Inn, Mainstay Suites, Cambria Hotel & Suites, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay and Ascend Hotel Collection. Their brand names are known for their reasonable price, excellent customer service and cleanliness of facilities.

Prior to becoming one of the leading lodging companies in the world, the operations of the company started as a referral chain in 1939 where the group would refer guests to the seven motels that are part of the business. Back then, they were trading under the name Quality Courts. During that time, the company has concentrated their operations within the United States, in those areas east of the Mississippi River. It was in 1972 that the company started franchising and to better represent their offerings, changed their name to Quality International.

The surge of other brand names came in the 1980s. It was during this era that the company acquired other businesses and started the introduction of the Comfort Inns brand name. As the business expanded aggressively, they also changed their name several times. It was in 1990 that they have finally settled for Choice Hotels International.

Since the last name change, the company has become the preferred choice of those travelers who are on a budget. Three of their hotel chains are considered as economy-oriented: Rodeway Inn, Econo Lodge and Friendships Inn. For those who want to splurge and enjoy a more upscale travel experience, they have the Cambria Suites which features designs based on contemporary styles.

GiveDirectly: Providing New Hope to Poor Families in Uganda and Kenya

GiveDirectly is a not-for-profit organization that funnels charitable contributions to families in Uganda and Kenya who are in extreme impoverished conditions. The donations are transferred unconditionally; without strings attached. GiveDirectly’s concept is contrary to popular opinion that the poor need close guidance for spending. In GiveDirectly’s experience, its recipients seldom go hungry and financial investments yield near-double returns.

The American Institute of Philanthropy has cited GiveDirectly as one of the most efficient charitable organizations. GiveDirectly funnels the funds using mobile phone and keeps the funds from passing through greedy middlemen. In 2013 for instance, GiveDirectly has distributed over $6 million people to close to 30,000 individuals. GiveDirectly ensures that only families living under thatched roofs (meaning the neediest) pass the screening process. Over a period of nine months, grants that average $1,000 are sent to the recipient via SMS.

GiveDirectly was founded by students of advanced economic development in Harvard and MIT. The idea was inspired by the explosion of mobile banking. GiveDirectly started with Kenya and has included Uganda beginning November 2013.

Kaplan: Getting Students Ready for a New Era of Education

Kaplan Inc. is a Graham Holdings Company subsidiary that offers education programs for associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degrees, professional training courses, and test preparation materials for different levels of education. For Kaplan, education is the best way to transform people’s lives. This belief is the rationale for Kaplan’s programs that seek to serve students from all ages - from the first grader that has to learn the alphabet to the professional that seeks his post-graduate degree.

For seven and a half decades, Kaplan has helped thousands of students discover their talents through student-centered and results-driven educational programs. Three segments make up Kaplans operations, namely Kaplan Higher Education, Kaplan Test Prep and Kaplan International.

Aside from Kaplan University that offers distance education, Kaplan Higher Education operates in the US through a growing partnership with 79 campuses in more than 20 states. Kaplan Higher Education encompasses a wide range of fields and disciplines including business, criminal justice, design, healthcare, information technology and legal and paralegal services. The schools under Kaplan Higher Education in the US have been accredited by one of the several accrediting agencies and have been approved by the US Department of Education.

When Kaplan Inc. began 75 years ago, its first business was the Kaplan Test Prep. Since giving its first test, Kaplan Test Prep has helped millions of students worldwide. With test preparations for over 90 standardized tests for English proficiency and college and graduate school admissions, Kaplan Test Prep has become a household name for students. On top of that, Kaplan Test Prep also offers academic tutoring that prepares the younger students through their K to 12 years.Kaplan Test Prep is also the preferred choice for preparation for licensure and advanced designation exams.

Comprised of Kaplan Asia Pacific and Kaplan Europe, Kaplan International offers programs that include the English language. It also provides test preparations, university pathway offerings, higher education and professional training that are designed to assist its students reach their academic goals and enhance their credentials so they can be competitive in the global marketplace.