Thrive & Inspire: At Orion, O’Brien and Patel's Focus Is ‘Families We Transport Every Day’
Mar. 6, 2023
DESCRIBE YOUR HIGHLIGHT of 2022. A continuation of our values, our leadership within the industry and the commitment to quality that our customers have come to expect. We remain on a growth trajectory within Houston and are happy to continue to expand our customer base by providing quality care.
How did you lead through Covid and adapt for success? As an EMS company, any public health emergency places us squarely in the spotlight. While this may seem daunting, being ready and able to handle any medical needs for our community is a pillar of ORION. Our friends and neighbors were hurting, and we made a commitment to be there for them, just as we have for the last 15 years. During these last two years, ORION’s leadership team ensured that our medical personnel were fully trained on the latest guidelines in patient care, and we frequently consulted with the leading medical and government authorities. The core mission of ORION did not change: to provide professional, compassionate medical care to every patient.
How did your career journey lead you to EMS? Throughout my life, I have challenged the status quo of various industries. To me, the most insidious thought for any organization is, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” In my career, I’ve consistently rejected the concept that an organization has reached its ceiling of potential impact. Having owned several businesses, my primary strategy has been to identify new efficient and customer-friendly ways to function. My decision to enter EMS was no different; I saw an industry that was too crowded (from a competition standpoint) and barely acknowledging the needs of the people it was supposed to be serving. I founded ORION to be the premier EMS company in Houston by returning the focus of our work to where it should always be — the families that we transport every day.
What’s “the end game” for ORION? The “end” is also our “beginning”: our staff and our patients. Every decision I make with our leadership team is focused on providing the best medical care possible in every transport. We are providing the Houston region with safe, reliable care for their loved ones while showing the public, and the EMS industry, what an ambulance service should be.
Describe ORION’s “win-win strategy” in the community. Our strategy centers on people — our staff, our hospital clients, and our patients. The EMS industry is so unique because, by definition, people come to us at difficult moments. ORION has a reputation for not only the quality of care we provide, but in the kindness and empathy shown by each employee. We would not have existed in this industry for as long as we have without being a bright light for the people of Houston when they need us.
What are your favorite aspects of your team? Without question, my favorite aspect is that ORION’s leadership team is entirely “homegrown.” Beginning with Vice President Sumi Patel, every senior leader started their career with ORION at a different level and has earned promotion to their current role. Those shared experiences create exceptionally strong bonds between us, and it ensures that we come to work focused on the same goals each day. Sumi has been standing with me since the beginning of ORION 15 years ago, and her commitment to excellence is, truly, unparalleled.
What makes you excited for 2023? The year 2023 is shaping up to have the same dynamic aspects that impact all EMS companies across the industry. We are excited that our stability in the marketplace, the leadership that guides our company and our continued quality of service will carry us through any challenges that may arise.
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THE PERSONAL SERVICE starts as soon as guests clear customs at the Maldives’ Malé Velana international airport. Visitors are whisked away in a speedboat to the Gili Lankanfushi resort, reminiscent of the opening scene of a new White Lotus season. While sipping a ginger juice, guests’ shoes are taken off and feet are cleaned. Then they’re handed back their belongings, in a bag labeled “No news, no shoes” — Gili’s mantra.
At first, “no news, no shoes” might seem kitschy to an American worried about traffic, exhausted from the election news cycle or recovering from a hurricane. But stress seems to melt away and the mantra becomes reality, as soon as the glittering resort comes into view. It’s actually paradise, a deep sea archipelago about 500 miles off the southern tip of India — a haven that’s picturesque and made for exploring, and completely disconnected from the outside world.
Gili is a five-star resort — named TripAdvisor’s number-one hotel in the world multiple times — comprised of 45 overwater villas surrounding a private island only available to hotel guests, complete with white sand beaches, schools of fish swimming in perfect blue water, and impeccable service.
While there’s plenty to satisfy the adventure seekers, Gili is made for relaxing in absolute luxury. For $10,000ish a night, it’s home to the world’s largest overwater villa, only accessible by boat, and hosts a private pool, gym and movie theatre. The other villas are open-air with stairs that lead directly into the crystal clear water of the Indian Ocean, with a private water garden that encloses the shower where manta rays and grouper fish swim freely. Measurements are taken before you arrive so personalized fins and goggles are waiting in the villa for a snorkeling adventure — without leaving the bedroom!
From the villa, it’s just a quick bike ride on an overwater wooden path to the island — peep the friendly blacktip reef sharks swimming underneath on the way. There’s no hotel tower or town, so it’s possible to wander among the bright green palm trees and beaches (which are raked every morning to be easy on your bare feet) without running into another person. Unless one would like to, which is where a personal butler — called Mr. or Mrs. Friday, a reference to Robinson Crusoe — can help. The staff at Gili, and especially your Friday, is omnipresent (while not being intrusive in the slightest). They’ll coordinate any of the many activities on Gili: Try snorkeling with the resident marine biologist to discover “coral farms,” through which the resort is growing and replanting coral; relax in the glass-bottomed spa; or take a swing during a private tennis lesson. Of course, there’s also plenty of food to be enjoyed.
Chef Hari oversees a small army of chefs and cooks from around the world that staff the island’s three restaurants, where every meal begins with a bracing shot of fresh juice. Don’t skip the breakfast spread served in the villa; it’s a full-service experience with fresh fruit, eggs and various curried, porridge-y Maldivian specialties served on your private dock as the fish splash and play in the ocean.
Chef Hari didn’t know what a “chef” was when his parents enrolled him in culinary school — and the first time he had to prepare beef, his Hindu mother banned him from the house. He has since spearheaded the island’s vegan and vegetarian programs, including highly customized multicourse meals and cooking classes, which are becoming the talk of the Euro-travel set.
Dinner is a nightly show. It adopts a different rotating theme, like Asian-street-market night, during which rows of live cooking stations are erected on the beach at sunset. Alternatively, Mediterranean night includes a full fire pit, and Brazilian night includes live-fire cooking carts rolled from table to table.
After serene days of no news and no shoes, lacing up sneakers for the trip back home is a hard-hitting reality. Gili, always with the special touches, has an airport concierge that helps guests through check-in and security, so there’s no need to part with the personalized luxury or friendly staff until the very last second.
The Gili Lankanfushi resort is made up of 45 luxury overwater villas connected to a private island with three restaurants, tennis court, pool, outdoor movie theatre and more.
Chef Hari’s hot chocolate lava cake topped with vanilla bean ice cream
The friendly and always attentive staff at the resort
The tennis court
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IS A HEALTHY, balanced real estate market finally here? Per HAR data, the answer is ... kind of? Inventory is at the highest level since 2011, prices are holding steady, and the city and metro area continue to grow in population. Having lost population after Harvey and Covid, the city welcomes significant yet sustainable growth — and a housing market that can handle it.
Modernized older homes on large lots, like this recently sold home at 6266 Cedar Creek, draw buyers.
Family-friendly and boasting a prime location just west of the Galleria, Briargrove is having a moment: The average sales price of a single-family home here during the 12 months ending in July 2024 was $1.23 million — a whopping 20 percent increase over the previous year. Homes are selling faster, too, averaging just 25 days on the market.
Suburban Sprawl
23454 Millbrook Dr. in New Caney is listed for $416K.
With a mix of “affordability, modern amenities and customizable options,” new-construction homes in suburban areas like New Caney, due east of The Woodlands, are in high demand. The Montgomery County community — twice ranked No. 1 by HAR in its quarterly list of Hottest Communities — boasts an average sales price of around $240K, and sold 140 percent more homes during the second quarter of 2024 compared to that of 2023.
Oaks With The Most
Listed for $998K, 1054 Gardenia in Garden Oaks sold in July after just seven days on the market.
Beloved for its Heights-adjacent location and charm, Garden Oaks is movin’ on up ... almost to the million-dollar mark. The average sales price of a single-family home here is more than $925K — and the number of transactions over the past 12 months ending in June increased by around 50 percent compared to the year prior. In neighboring Oak Forest, home prices jumped 20 percent, to an impressive $811K. Meanwhile, in the Heights proper, both sales price and the number of transactions remain relatively flat year-over-year.
Land Down Under?
Brian Spack lists 4934 Dumfries Dr. for $1.3M.
It seems like flood-prone Meyerland has learned a thing or two after all these years — and now it’s the rest of Houston that’s reeling from natural disasters. So while home prices across the city remain relatively flat, those in Meyerland are up 10 percent year-over-year, and houses — like this raised new build complete with a car lift in the garage — are sitting on the market for 25 percent fewer days.
West Side Story
Listed by Kim Perdomo with the Perdomo Group, 290 Knipp was under contract after just five days.
The Memorial area is often thought to primarily consist of the Villages. But go toward and beyond the Beltway and you’ll find scores of tight-knit comunities that make up the Memorial West market area — where home prices are up by 7 percent and days-on-market is down by about the same. It was named HAR’s Hottest Luxury Community of Q1 2024, with transactions up 33.3% year over year.
Explore the real estate report by-the-numbers here or the top real estate trends here.
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