ConVerdia Health Staffing finds home in West Fargo

InForum – During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian Rahman saw an opportunity to fulfill a dream of his, launching a healthcare staffing agency. Now, ConVerdia Health Staffing has moved from Rahman’s south Fargo condo to a permanent office in West Fargo.

A fast-growing, family-owned business has found a new permanent home in West Fargo.

ConVerdia Health Staffing, founded by longtime healthcare industry veteran Brian Rahman, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new office Tuesday, March 15, at 301 Sheyenne St.

The origins of ConVerdia trace back decades, Rahman explained to those gathered Tuesday. The seed was planted when Rahman was working as a healthcare administrator after graduating from Concordia College.

As Rahman crisscrossed the United States, from Colorado to various parts of the Midwest, he came to realize the need for adequate staffing in the healthcare industry. The lack of staffing was especially prevalent in rural areas.

Healthcare staffing is an issue that still exists to this day in both urban and rural areas, Rahman said. “I always knew back 30 years ago there were healthcare staffing needs, but definitely today there is the same (need),” he said.

Launching a healthcare staffing agency had always been a dream of Rahman’s. Only recently though did he fulfill that dream when he started ConVerdia out of his south Fargo condo.

The company grew quickly thereafter, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic pouring gasoline on the fire. “We’ve grown very fast,” Rahman said. “The COVID pandemic has been instrumental in our growth.”

At the beginning, ConVerdia only offered healthcare staffing within 100 miles of the Fargo-Moorhead area. Now, Rahman said, the company has gone into its 12th state, a geographic footprint that encompasses the East Coast, the Midwest, Colorado, and Arizona.

Not only did the pandemic exacerbate the need for healthcare staffing, it also boosted the profile of ConVerdia, Rahman noted. The virus posed “a challenge,” he said, but the company was able to adapt. “The needs definitely increased two years ago when the COVID outbreak started,” he commented. “We were very creative in the ways in which we brought our nurses on board.”

ConVerdia serves as the connection between healthcare systems and employees. The company’s “three spokes,” Rahman said, are travel and per diem nurses, allied staff such as X-ray technicians and lab technicians, and provider services.

What ConVerdia offers healthcare professionals, Rahman said, is scheduling flexibility or a source of additional income. Many seek out ConVerdia when they’re in between jobs or looking for a financial boost to pay off tuition.

For healthcare providers, ConVerdia offers a stable of professionals who are ready to work, be it on a temporary, short-term or long-term basis. “We want to partner with our clients,” Rahman remarked. “We want to work with them, whatever their needs are, whenever they arise.”

Though the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is in the rearview mirror, Rahman anticipates the need for the sort of staffing ConVerdia provides will persist. “I see continued growth. I think the needs are going to come down post-COVID, but we as a company are going to grow,” he said.

To prepare, Rahman anticipates adding 30 to 50 employees to his current staff of 12 and growing ConVerdia’s network of healthcare professionals. Among that staff will be industry recruiters to bring more professionals aboard. “We want to be there when those needs arise,” he said.

A family affair

While Rahman forecasted that ConVerdia’s reach would eventually expand to all 50 states, he said rural America is his “passion.”

It’s why founding ConVerdia in the Fargo area was important for him. A Fargo native and Oak Grove High School graduate, Rahman said he wanted to keep the company in the metro area because he understood the community and its needs.

His local connections have afforded ConVerdia a practical advantage as well. “I know the footprint of the area. I know a lot of the administrators, which has been beneficial,” Rahman said.

I see continued growth. I think the needs are going to come down post-COVID, but we as a company are going to grow.

Brian Rahman, president and founder of ConVerdia Health Staffing.

Rahman also credited his family for making the endeavor possible. His two sons, Braden and Cody, both work for ConVerdia, while his daughter Cassidy also works in the healthcare industry.

Most importantly, though, is his wife Jessica, who Rahman called the “glue” of the office.

Jessica was the head women’s basketball coach at Concordia from 2004 to 2019. Her 16 seasons at the helm were the longest tenure for a Cobbers head coach. Over that term, she guided the team to an overall record of 273-151, taking the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown in 2013.

Jessica anticipated a normal retirement following the 2019 season, though Brian sold her on joining ConVerdia shortly thereafter. “She jumped in with both feet,” Brian said.

Though ConVerdia’s new office marks the start of the company’s next chapter, Brian took a moment to reflect on the journey Tuesday. “It’s very exciting. Today is a celebration,” he said. “This is a dream come true.”Readers can reach InForum reporter Thomas Evanella at tevanella@forumcomm.com or follow him on Twitter @ThomasEvanella