From Startup to 350+ Employees
John Hutchinson is a seasoned leader with more than two decades of experience spanning healthcare, real estate, and finance. As Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of CARE Counseling, he helped grow the company from a single location with 2 employees to 10 locations with over 350 employees in just 10 years, culminating in its successful sale to Optum.
In 2023, John was named a Health Care Hero by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for cultivating an environment where clinicians thrive, and clients receive exceptional care. He also serves as Chairman of the Board for CARE More, a nonprofit focused on driving systemic change within the mental health community.
Beyond CARE, John founded and leads Hutchinson Enterprises, a holding company that has completed more than $100 million in real estate transactions over the past three years, and is actively involved in Ryzo Commercial Real Estate, Summit Realty, and Skywalker Structures.
Challenging Outdated Strategies for Outsized Growth
The link between human nuance and impactful enterprise value
At CARE, John challenged the industry norm of 18-month clinician tenure by treating retention as something more fundamental than an HR initiative. John views it as an operating design problem. By embedding generosity, authenticity, and disciplined listening into operating systems, he extended tenure to three years and delivered a 400% improvement in profitability per hire, all while paying clinicians more.
John knows firsthand that putting people first pays off in performance and profit. Today, as an investor and board leader, he advances a simple conviction: No margin, no mission.
Guiding Leaders to Lasting Success
John has spent his career proving that human-centered leadership is no soft philosophy. It’s a durable financial strategy. From launching a 40% margin product in a category operating at negative 13% to building CARE Counseling at 70% year-over-year growth for a decade without outside capital, his work consistently ties human nuance to measurable enterprise value.
With experience across healthcare, real estate, and investing, John now works with CEOs to improve retention, strengthen culture, and scale smarter.