 September 15, 2007
The Bill Bivin Small Business of the Year Award, established in 1993, pays tribute to businesses that exemplify leadership, ethics and organization. These businesses demonstrate consistent community involvement, excellent business reputation and established leadership in their respective field. Tongass Substance Screening fully embodies all of these qualities. Tongass Substance Screening owner Renee Schofield established her specialized drug and alcohol collection and testing services in 1999. Since then she established branch operations in Juneau and most recently in Keokuk, Iowa. The company specializes in drug and alcohol screening and program management for Federal and non-Federal agencies. They offer phlebotomy services, audiology, EKG, Spirometer testing and crime and trauma scene decontamination. Schofield saw a need for education services and began a second company AK S.T.A.R., which specialized in phlebotomy training, CPR/First Aid classes, customer service training and other continuing education courses for health care providers. Schofield does not stop there. She works hard, but still finds time to volunteer and make a difference in her community of Ketchikan. Schofield is a strong supporter of the Ketchikan Chamber, serving as Past President and an active committee member. She is a long time volunteer with the March of Dimes Walk-a-thon event in Ketchikan, serving as co-chair of the campaign for fifteen years and as Chair since 1998. When Schofield learned that the Ketchikan Annual Health Fair had lost its major sponsor, Tongass Substance Screening stepped up without any hesitation to oversee and coordinate the event to insure it would continue without interruption. Not only did Schofield and her staff step up to sponsor the event, they committed to oversee and coordinate the event and led the charge to grow the event and recruit more volunteers to assist. As a prelude to the health fair, Schofield and her staff also organized a well received, community "Biggest Losers" event. Tongass Substance Screening staff sends out weekly challenges, menu suggestions and encouraging messages to participants. Schofield is a Red Ribbon Week volunteer, serves on the Board of Directors for the Gateway Center for Human Services, the State of Alaska Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and a number of other volunteer positions. Schofield is not one to just sit on a committee in name only, she is an active participant. Schofield has built Tongass Substance Screening from the ground up, becoming well respected by members of the local medical community. Schofield has developed a tight-knit, highly trained staff, who works in parallel with her own high standards of professionalism, integrity and quality of service. Tongass Substance Screening is the only service of its kind in Ketchikan, but this does not prevent her from going the extra mile for her corporate and individual clients. She keeps them in compliance with mandated drug testing policies and procedures, working closely with client management as a member of their own management team. Schofield encourages her staff to further their education and provides opportunities for her employees to grow and learn through programs such as coaching classes and Train the Trainers classes. Schofield encouraged all of her staff to become Certified Professional Collectors. She understands the importance of work and life balance and shares that balancewith her staff. Her employees and the Ketchikan business community recognize Schofield and Tongass Substance Screening as an honest and fair employer. Schofield is one of twenty recipients of Make Mine a Million contest, a program of Count Me in for Women's Economic Independence. Schofield received her national recognition in New York City in October of 2006. The program assists one million women entrepreneurs to reach one million dollars in revenue by 2010. Her employees say you won't hear Schofield say, "We can't do it" you will her hear say "how can we make this happen, and let's make it fun!" This dedication and positive perspective is one of the many reasons the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce honored Tongass Substance Screening with the 2007 Bill Bivin Small Business of the Year Award.
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