Our Story - Options

You might not have heard the story of Compass. To survey Compass now, you will see a company passionately committed to pursing the dreams of clients and employees. You will also see an agency serving over 500 clients in seven counties and three regional centers (RCEB, SARC AND FNRC). However, at first glance, you might not know that Compass itself sprang up from a dream. Through love and hard work, it has blossomed into the company that it is today.

In 1996, the founders were working for a large nonprofit in Redding, CA and were directing the Supported Living Services (SLS). The cost effective definition had just been approved, along with the permanent SLS regulations, resulting in a 40% cut to the contracts. Due to the cuts, the nonprofit decided that the program would not be cost effective and gave a 30 day notice to all of its clients.

The founders, Sadie Huffmaster Hess and Joanne McCarley, were passionate about the SLS program and also wanted to provide a life raft for those who were facing abrupt disruption and change. Because their clients were in jeopardy of losing their hard-fought independence, Compass opened its doors in just a little over a month. On July 5 (Sadie was only 23 at the time) they had no business plan and no start up money.

By August 19 they had an approved service plan and began serving their first client. Instantly, Compass became a place of dreams, not only for the clients who were able to keep their SLS services, but also for the young ladies who founded a company they could believe in and begin building.

In 2005, Sadie fulfilled another dream. She was newly married, and together she and her husband Eric decided to partner to build Compass. Eric assumed the Financial and Human Resources side of the company. In order to serve the company in an even stronger role, in 2010 Eric graduated with two Masters in Business Administration from Columbia and Berkeley.

Compass is founded on the belief that partnering makes dreams come true and empowers both staff and clients to realize their dreams. Compass hosts dream retreats to inspire staff members to unlock their dreams. When team members are given space to dream, the results have been astounding. Six staff members have decided to pursue higher education and others have decided to learn quilting, buy a bike or travel, to name a few. One year, Catherine decided her dream was to become a US citizen, and the following year she was able to stand up in front of her peers and announce she had just been sworn in. She received a standing ovation.

Compass believes that people who are reaching for their own dreams can then inspire others to reach too. Inspiration is contagious. The Compass that you see today was birthed out of an unexpected and unlikely beginning. As a company, Compass embraces hope and optimism and knows that dreams—even unlikely ones—can indeed come true. At every level and at every turn, we are a company of dreamers.