James G. Wetrich, LFACHE, PCC is the CEO of The Wetrich Group of Companies. Founded in 2001, The Wetrich Group offers a wide variety of health care management advisory services including management consulting, executive coaching, talent assessment, leadership development and outplacement. In 2014, The Wetrich Group SCO LLC purchased the assets of Haney/Lowderman LLC, a firm specializing in outplacement and career counseling services for hospital executives.
Jim lectures and blogs about leadership and team work as well as coaches and mentors executives across many industries. He has been a guest lecturer at the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University.
He recently authored a chapter in the anthology, Quitless: The Power of Persistence in Business and Life by Alinka Rutkowska which was published March 13, 2021 and became a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-seller.
Jim also was a contributor to the anthology, 7-Figure Minds by Alinka Rutkowska which was published June 12, 2021.
His new book, Stifled Where Good Leaders Go Wrong was released on October 12, 2021. Jim also blogs about leadership at: https://bigredsleadershipblog.wordpress.com/.
Jim is a chapter author of an upcoming anthology The Inner Voice of Guidance to be released in the Spring of 2023.
Jim attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and began his exposure to health care delivery and community health initiatives through several roles. He was one of the University’s first Health Advocates, highly trained peer counselors who provided unique health counseling services to students. U.S.C. awarded Mr. Wetrich with Outstanding Senior Recognition upon his graduation.
Following graduation from U.S.C., Mr. Wetrich attended Tulane University where he earned a Master of Health Administration with a concentration in financial management. He spent the next eight years of his career on the provider side of health care working in a variety of capacities. He worked in hospital administration at Ochsner Hospital where he was involved in the redesign of the hospital’s material management department; he worked as Vice President of the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, and as Vice President with Pitts Management Associates. During his time with David Pitts at PMA, he played an instrumental role in the development of the University HealthSystem Consortium. Jim later joined UHC as the Director of Business Development. At UHC, Jim played a key role in developing a renal dialysis supply business and the distribution strategy for the group purchasing program.
Jim left UHC and the provider side of the industry to join Abbott Laboratories as Manager, Corporate Strategic Planning. While at Abbott, Jim spent four years in product marketing, two years as Marketing Director for European Operations, two years as Director of HealthSystem Sales where he and his team covered the key IDNs west of the Mississippi, and four years Divisional Vice
President for National Accounts where Jim handled Abbott’s largest customer, Novation. At the time of his departure from Abbott, Jim’s responsibilities at Novation exceeded $1Billion and included more than 20 agreements.
Jim left Abbott to join Premier as the Vice President and General Manager of Supply Chain Relationship Management. Three months after joining Premier, his position was eliminated in a restructuring.
Mr. Wetrich formed The Wetrich Group to offer comprehensive sales and marketing advisory services to clients. The Wetrich Group has worked with both suppliers and providers on over 100 projects including marketing, sales, and operational improvements.
In 2009, Mr. Wetrich received his MBA from the Goizeuta School of Business at Emory University where he graduated with Outstanding Academic Accomplishment (#1 in the class) recognition.
In 2015, Jim was in the Inaugural Cohort of the Distinguished Careers Institute at Stanford University.
Jim has served on numerous boards and advisory boards in both non-profit as well as for-profit corporations. Jim was elected to the International Coaching Federation Professional Coaches Global board for a two-year term (2022 – 2024). Jim is an Adjunct Instructor at Texas Wesleyan University where he teaches Principles of Marketing to business students.
He received a certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching from University of Texas at Dallas. Jim is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation and a Distinguished Fellow Coach with BetterUp. He has over 700 hours of coaching experience across many industries.
Mr. Wetrich is a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of a number of associations. Jim has received several honors and awards including the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Tulane University.
