Retention Strategy Built for Rural Teams
Chris Sund is President & COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare, and Nebula — and he built all of it from a small Nebraska town. He speaks to rural hospitals, clinics, and state associations about the loyalty, proximity, and purpose that rural facilities can offer better than anyone.
Rural Doesn't Mean Outmatched
Rural facilities lose staff to metro systems that can pay more, and every conference tells them to build a better pipeline. Chris takes the opposite angle: the things that actually keep people — being known, being developed, being trusted with more — are easier to deliver in a twelve-bed hospital than in a system of ten thousand. He speaks from the staffing side of the market, so he can tell your members exactly what their people are being offered elsewhere.
- What travel and metro recruiters are actually offering your staff
- Why proximity to leadership is a rural advantage, not a limitation
- Developing the people you have when hiring is not an option
- Retention when every departure is 10% of your workforce
- Original research: 92% of professionals believe they are capable of more
Popular Programs for Rural Healthcare Audiences
Every session is customized to your members, theme, and goals.
People Quit People, Not Companies
Retention as a leadership skill — critical where one resignation reshapes a schedule.
The Power of Small Moments
The rural advantage: leaders who know every name can use every interaction.
Winning the Talent Battle
Competing for clinicians when you cannot compete on compensation.
You Are Capable of More
The signature keynote for teams that carry more than their headcount suggests.
Rural Audiences Chris Serves
Related pages: Critical Access Hospital Speaker · Healthcare Leadership Speaker · State Association Speaker
What Rural Health Planners Ask
Does he understand rural constraints?
He lives them. Chris is based in Fremont, Nebraska, and much of his company's work supports rural and critical access facilities. He does not open with advice that assumes a recruiting department or a training budget.
Is he a clinician?
No. Chris speaks to the leadership and workforce side — retention, culture, development, and recruitment — not clinical practice.
Will it work for a mixed association audience?
Yes. State association conferences typically mix administrators, DONs, HR, and board members. The material is behavioral, so it applies at every level.
Can he tailor to our state's specific pressures?
Yes. Chris asks for context on your members' markets before every event and builds examples around what they are actually facing.
You Are Capable of More
The bestselling book behind the keynotes — ten principles for closing the gap between what people are doing and what they are actually capable of. Written for teams that already carry more than their headcount suggests.
Associations regularly pair a keynote with copies for attendees. Bulk pricing and signed editions are available.
Small Town, National View
Chris took Uniti Med from startup to one of the largest healthcare staffing firms in the country: 10x revenue growth, #3 fastest-growing in the Midwest on the Inc. Regionals, and a Fortune Best Workplaces award along the way.
He serves as Vice President of the NATHO board, is a Maxwell Leadership Certified coach and bestselling author, writes for Inc., and is a Forbes Business Council member.
He also built all of it from Fremont, Nebraska. Rural audiences get a speaker with a national view of the workforce market who does not need the realities of a small community explained to him.
As Seen & Heard
Television, national business press, and the podcasts where Chris talks healthcare workforce, culture, and retention.
Stages I Have Spoken On
Where Rural Health Audiences Have Heard Chris
State associations and rural facilities where Chris has taken the stage.
Rural Health Association of UtahUtahMontana Health Care AssociationMontanaTORCH / TARHCTexasVirginia Community HealthcareVirginiaCrawford Memorial HospitalDenison, IASouth Dakota Health Care Assn.South DakotaAlso heard on: Addressing the Nursing Staffing Crisis · Definitive Healthcare Webinar · Podcast appearances · See all speaking engagements →
Bring Chris to Your Rural Health Event
Tell Chris about your conference and members. You’ll get a fast, straight answer on fit and availability.
Check Availability & FeesResponse within one business day · Speaker kit, bio & headshots