Page 24 - Coweta NCG 2017

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~ B Y D A N A B R O W N

MICHAEL ROBER T SON Michael Robertson

lthough Piedmont Newnan Hospital CEO
Michael Robertson is not a native of Coweta
County, the four-year Coweta resident
A certainly has the same energy, drive and
community spirit as if born and raised here. In your profession, do you encounter many peers in
Originally from Canton, Georgia, Michael was employed at your age group? I would say that most of my peers are not
Piedmont Mountainside, a sister facility of Piedmont Newnan, the same age as me. I’m 44. I was Piedmont’s youngest CEO at 37.
until 2012 when he took advantage of a professional To what do you attribute your fast rise to the top of
growth opportunity and accepted the CEO position at your field? I think it’s a combination of hard work and a little
Piedmont Newnan. bit of luck, and having great people to work with. I’ve had the privilege of
In just four short years, Michael has not only impacted working with some of the smartest and hardworking individuals in the
the healthcare industry as a whole, but he has also made industry. One of Piedmont’s strengths is to attract and retain top talent in
an impact on his staff, peers and other Coweta County the field. I’ve just been blessed to be able to work beside them.
businesses, making him one of our community’s most Did you have a mentor? If so, what was the most
prosperous young professionals. valuable thing you learned from them? I have multiple
As the CEO of Piedmont Newnan Hospital, mentors. I would say that some of the most valuable things I learned
what are your daily professional tasks? were trying to deal with the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, and
Basically, I run the hospital with a team of professionals that you need consistent communication from top to bottom.
consisting of clinicians, physicians, non-clinical teammates and A great piece of advice I was given by a Board member: “When you’re
volunteers. No single day is the same. Life, Death, Sickness and making decisions and changes in the hospital and they’re affecting
Health. We see a little bit of it all. I was a respiratory therapist physicians, if you’re not talking to them before the decision, you’ll
prior to management. My underlying foundation is if you definitely be talking to them after.”
put the patient first, treat your teammates fairly, the rest will Why do you think Coweta County has so many
fall into place. youthful leaders at this point in time? We’ve just got a
What are your professional goals? Short term to great county, a lot of opportunities. It attracts young leaders who want to
continue to see Piedmont Newnan grow. The new start and grow careers, and it’s a great place to raise a family. It’s close
building was built and opened in 2012 and we’ve slowly been enough to the airport (Hartsfield-Jackson) and to Atlanta, but we don’t
growing, and I want to continue that by providing services to have to deal with the traffic and hectic lifestyle every day if we choose.
our community. Long term would be to develop a strong What is your favorite thing about living in Coweta
team here at Piedmont Newnan to continue to grow the County? It’s important for me as a CEO of a hospital to live in
“Piedmont Way,” putting patients at the center of everything we the community that I serve, that it’s not only where I work but it’s where
do and help develop new leaders in healthcare. my family or I go to get care.

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