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Mitch Abrams had a crazy ride up the corporate ladder.
Business First of Louisville has named him in this year's “40 under 40,” which lists the best young executives who work in the Louisville area.
Abrams graduated from Boyle County High School in 1990 and spent the next five years working at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown while apprenticing as an electrician. During that time, he met his wife, fellow BCHS graduate Jill Abrams.
Even she had no idea how far Abrams would go, but she always knew he had great potential.
“He has a drive that not many people have,” Jill Abrams said. “It has been amazing to watch, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Abrams started his own company, TP Mechanical Contractors, in 1995 after he became a master electrician, but his drive compelled him to go further.
His corporate career began in 2001 when he found a job as an assistant at Home Quality Care, which would become part of Signature HealthCARE. Now, he manages the daily operations of 70 Signature HealthCARE long-term care facilities as vice president for physical plants.
That isn't half of what he does at Signature HealthCARE, though. He is also the chief executive officer of SHC Construction, which builds and renovates health-care facilities, and CEO of SHC Furniture, which produces solid wood furniture for SHC facilities.
The workload doesn’t bother Abrams, though — quite the opposite, in fact.
“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “I thrive under pressure. The more I have to do, the more motivated I become.”
Nowhere was this ability to rise to the challenge shown better than in 2005 when the family moved to Palm Beach, Fla., and Abrams enrolled in the University of Miami’s graduate program. His class of 24 had 18 people who spoke English as a second language, 13 medical doctors and one lawyer — an intimidating group of people for anyone.
Abrams had particular reason to be nervous, though. He had never even received a bachelor’s degree. Instead the CEO of Signature HealthCARE personally vouched for Abrams’ qualifications and convinced the school to admit him despite his lack of formal education.
Two years later, Abrams received his master’s degree in business administration, specializing in health-care policy, and the confidence he gained proving himself will stay with him forever.
“Those were two of the best years of my life,” Abrams said.
But for his wife and children, the one weekend a month that Abrams spent away at school was not such a great experience. The family had settled into a pattern, where during the week Abrams often would be traveling or working, but weekends were sanctified family time. Disrupting that pattern played havoc on the family.
“Those were the hardest two years of my life,” Jill Abrams said. “It was like a balancing act. For two years, we missed one weekend every month together. Not only did the kids and I not know what to do without him, we really floundered without him being there.”
In the end, though, the hardships and struggles were worth the positive changes in Abrams.
“He grew as a person in a way I couldn’t have foreseen,” Jill Abrams said. “Before that, I don’t know if he ever really believed in himself.”
With his career a resounding success, and having proven himself in the halls of formal education, Abrams’ future looked bright. Things only got better when SHC moved its national headquarters to Louisville, which allowed the family to move back to the Boyle County area.
Business First of Louisville has named him in this year's “40 under 40,” which lists the best young executives who work in the Louisville area.
Abrams graduated from Boyle County High School in 1990 and spent the next five years working at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown while apprenticing as an electrician. During that time, he met his wife, fellow BCHS graduate Jill Abrams.
Even she had no idea how far Abrams would go, but she always knew he had great potential.
“He has a drive that not many people have,” Jill Abrams said. “It has been amazing to watch, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Abrams started his own company, TP Mechanical Contractors, in 1995 after he became a master electrician, but his drive compelled him to go further.
His corporate career began in 2001 when he found a job as an assistant at Home Quality Care, which would become part of Signature HealthCARE. Now, he manages the daily operations of 70 Signature HealthCARE long-term care facilities as vice president for physical plants.
That isn't half of what he does at Signature HealthCARE, though. He is also the chief executive officer of SHC Construction, which builds and renovates health-care facilities, and CEO of SHC Furniture, which produces solid wood furniture for SHC facilities.
The workload doesn’t bother Abrams, though — quite the opposite, in fact.
“It’s kind of funny,” he said. “I thrive under pressure. The more I have to do, the more motivated I become.”
Nowhere was this ability to rise to the challenge shown better than in 2005 when the family moved to Palm Beach, Fla., and Abrams enrolled in the University of Miami’s graduate program. His class of 24 had 18 people who spoke English as a second language, 13 medical doctors and one lawyer — an intimidating group of people for anyone.
Abrams had particular reason to be nervous, though. He had never even received a bachelor’s degree. Instead the CEO of Signature HealthCARE personally vouched for Abrams’ qualifications and convinced the school to admit him despite his lack of formal education.
Two years later, Abrams received his master’s degree in business administration, specializing in health-care policy, and the confidence he gained proving himself will stay with him forever.
“Those were two of the best years of my life,” Abrams said.
But for his wife and children, the one weekend a month that Abrams spent away at school was not such a great experience. The family had settled into a pattern, where during the week Abrams often would be traveling or working, but weekends were sanctified family time. Disrupting that pattern played havoc on the family.
“Those were the hardest two years of my life,” Jill Abrams said. “It was like a balancing act. For two years, we missed one weekend every month together. Not only did the kids and I not know what to do without him, we really floundered without him being there.”
In the end, though, the hardships and struggles were worth the positive changes in Abrams.
“He grew as a person in a way I couldn’t have foreseen,” Jill Abrams said. “Before that, I don’t know if he ever really believed in himself.”
With his career a resounding success, and having proven himself in the halls of formal education, Abrams’ future looked bright. Things only got better when SHC moved its national headquarters to Louisville, which allowed the family to move back to the Boyle County area.
