Jason Grimes recently celebrated 10 years with Reliance Medical Transport! Jason is the Director of Business Development and Special Projects and is an integral part of the company and the Reliance story.
Jason, a former Marine, was working as an EMT for another medical transport company when he was invited to be Reliance’s first team member. “I still remember when I made the decision to do this – the doubt in people’s eyes,” he says. Jason credits his time in the Marine Corps for helping prepare him for the challenge. “The military builds dedication, leadership, and the attitude you need to push through adversity,” he explains.
In the early days of Reliance, Jason did a bit of everything. “I was doing the transports, answering the phones, taking appointments, getting new business, dispatching myself to the calls, recruiting, and writing our company policies between transports.” He was CEO for eight years before shifting to business development in 2022.
Jason explains that he and Reliance Owner Dr. Moncion had a vision when they started the company. This vision, Jason says, has been his primary drive for success. “We wanted to be the company that put our people first,” he says. “We didn’t want our team members to have to work multiple jobs to pay their bills or to have to choose between going to school or having a job.
“Working at Reliance should be a career. Medical transport requires a special type of person with a high level of compassion, and we believe that person deserves a livable wage, benefits, and time to pursue their goals. Figuring out how to make that possible – even in the face of business and economic challenges – that’s been the most rewarding part of the work for me,” he says.
Jason adds that Reliance changed the game for local medical transport companies. “We led the way for our competitors to improve their pay and benefits packages,” he says. “We’re showing the industry that this is something that can be done while still maintaining a thriving company.”
Reliance’s company culture focuses on individual growth. Jason explains, “We have a lot of former team members who have moved on to become doctors, physician assistants, nurses, firefighters, and police officers. If they want to make time to study or chase their other passions, we work with them to make it happen. We don’t hold them back.”
Reflecting on the most memorable moments of his decade with the company, Jason remembers when Reliance was tasked with evacuating the VA Hospital in advance of a major hurricane. “We could only take the patients to other VA facilities – Salisbury NC, Richmond VA, and Salem VA – and we had 48 hours to do it,” he explains. “We didn’t have enough trucks to do it ourselves.”
“We coordinated with FEMA and the state of Virginia to get 26 ambulances to the parking lot of the VA Hospital without a minute to spare. Our team worked flawlessly that day. I was so proud of them. There was zero wasted movement. Everyone was working their best. We got every patient moved out and transported to where they needed to be, and we did it on time. That day showed me what we’re capable of. With this team, there’s no job we can’t handle.”
Jason is happy to share advice to someone starting a career in the medical transport industry: “Dream big. There’s no ceiling. You can come into this field from high school with zero experience and be a doctor in 10 years. The sky’s the limit, especially for today’s generation of kids.”
His work is inspiring the next generation of EMTs in the area. Jason’s daughter, Adrianna, is currently working on her EMT certification. He plans to take the class with her this spring as a refresher, and to show his support.