Hal Rosenbluth

Hal Rosenbluth is an American businessman, entrepreneur, investor, and best-selling author who grew his family's local, Philadelphia-based travel agency, Rosenbluth International, into a multi-billion-dollar operation. In 2003, Rosenbluth led the sale of Rosenbluth International to American Express, which at the time combined two of the top three largest travel agencies in the United States (U.S.).

Rosenbluth later founded Take Care Health Systems, an in-store clinic operator, which he later sold to Walgreens. Following the sale, he led Walgreens’ Health and Wellness Division.

He is the current Chairman & CEO of New Ocean Health Solutions, a technology company focused on addressing needs within healthcare.

Rosenbluth has authored three books – New York Times best-seller The Customer Comes Second, Good Company, and Care to Compete, and with the upcoming planned release of his fourth book, Hypochondria, due out May 7, 2024.

Education
Hal Rosenbluth attended college at the University of Miami where he graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. He served on the University of Miami's Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2012.

Rosenbluth International
Rosenbluth International was started in Philadelphia in 1892 when Hal Rosenbluth's great-grandfather started  assisting European immigrants by charging boat passage to New York and transportation from Ellis Island to Philadelphia. Upon graduation from the University of Miami in 1974, Rosenbluth joined his family's travel agency, Rosenbluth International. Rosenbluth started as an agent issuing Amtrak tickets.

Rosenbluth recognized early on that evolving technology resources allowed for more efficient operations. He worked to purchase their own mainframe in 1978 and setup computer operations where they could book everything digitally. The New York Times reported that at the time, “Rosenbluth is the only travel company that links all of its offices electronically through the same information system, an advantage, it insists, that guarantees seamless, consistent service.” The business primarily handled corporate global travel need.

Rosenbluth was named president in 1985. He then transformed the $20 million local travel agency into a $6 billion global travel management company with operations in 35 countries. Rosenbluth is credited with creating a new industry – that of digital travel booking. Rosenbluth's early recognition of turning data into actionable knowledge kept the company at the forefront of the industry. Rosenbluth International held various patents on electronic fare calculation and interactive booking software.

In 2003, Rosenbluth led the sale of Rosenbluth International to American Express for a reported $350 million.

Under Rosenbluth's leadership, Rosenbluth International was named by Fortune magazine as one of the Hundred Best Companies to Work for in America, Service Company of the Year by acclaimed author of In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters, and received numerous corporate awards such as Intel's Supplier of the Year.

Take Care Health Systems
In 2004, Rosenbluth co-founded a Take Care Health Systems with Peter Miller. Take Care Health Systems is a chain of “quick-care, no-appointment-needed” clinics that opened their first retail outlet in 2005. They later received funding from Beecken Petty O’Keefe & Company.

In 2007, Rosenbluth sold Take Care Health Systems to Walgreens as a wholly owned subsidiary for an undisclosed amount; at the time of the sale there were 51 locations. In 2013, Walgreens rebranded its Take Care Clinics as Healthcare Clinics. Today, there are more than 400 clinics across the country.

Rosenbluth later created Take Care Health Employer Solutions, which offered a full range a health services to employers to deal with rising healthcare costs. In 2014, Take Care Employer Solutions rebranded to Premise Health.

In 2007, Rosenbluth created the Convenient Care Association, an association formed to establish standards of care in new industry of health clinics in retail settings like drugstores and groceries.

Walgreens
Following Walgreens’ acquisition of Take Care Health, Rosenbluth was named President of Health and Wellness at Walgreens.

Rosenbluth created the Walgreens Corporate Innovation Team in 2009, which helped Walgreens earn recognition as one of the Top Innovative Companies in the country by Fast Company magazine.

In 2010, Rosenbluth also took on the added responsibility of Walgreens Health Initiatives, a pharmacy benefit management company, which was later sold to Catalyst Healthcare Solutions.

He also created the first clinical office for Walgreens where thousands of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants were overseen.

Rosenbluth retired from Walgreens in April 2011. Upon leaving, then President and CEO Greg Wasson said, “Hal’s entrepreneurial spirit was instrumental to Walgreens as we expanded our pharmacy, health and wellness services through our Take Care retail clinics and worksite health centers.”

New Ocean Health Solutions
Rosenbluth founded New Ocean Health Solutions in 2013 with the mission to discover and fulfill the unmet needs of the healthcare industry. He aims to bring about transformational change in wellness by addressing chronic disease and lifestyle management.

As chairman and CEO, Rosenbluth leads software design and development of a comprehensive enterprise health management platform that combines technology, health, and human behavior to empower health plans, employers, and government agencies in fostering a healthy population.

Rosenbluth led the creation of a mobile-first solution, The Voyage®, that features a complete lifestyle management application and a full suite of chronic condition management programs that engages people at every step, informing and motivating behavioral choices for improved, healthier lives.

Recognitions

 * Business Enterprise Trust Award (1995)
 * Humanitarian Award, presented by the Foundation of Christians and Jews
 * Marco Polo Award (2002)
 * Elected to Fellowship of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia (2009)

Author
Rosenbluth co-authored with Diane McFerrin Peters his first book, The Customer Comes Second, released in 1992 (revised 2002) in which he talks about the importance of making employees the first priority and customers second, and then success will follow. It was a New York Times Bestseller with Tom Peters saying “Hal Rosenbluth's story is one of the great unsung business success sagas.”

In 1998, he released his second book also co-authored with McFerrin Peters, Good Company, which is an “easy to read primer on discovering the basics of a successful modern business.” A reviewer goes on to say, “The authors show how any size organization can gain a competitive edge by accepting greater responsibility for society at large and the welfare of their employees.”

In 1999, Rosenbluth released his third book co-authored with McFerrin Peters, Care to Compete, which goes “behind the scenes at fifteen of the world's most resilient and innovative companies to reveal how they have met today's most pressing management challenges and how they prepare for tomorrow.”

He is scheduled to release his fourth book, Hypochondria: What’s Behind the Hidden Costs of Healthcare in America, May 7, 2024, co-authored with Marnie Hall.

Community Involvement & Philanthropy
In 1988, Rosenbluth discovered that the 1,200 person, small farming community of Linton, North Dakota, was struggling through one of the worst droughts the Midwest had seen at the time. He wanted to help the local community so he set up a temporary office and gave part-time jobs to some 40 people to make extra income for a few months. He was applauded and credited with saving Linton.

Impressed by their dedication and productivity, Rosenbluth made these jobs permanent, creating a substantial workforce in Linton. Over the years, Rosenbluth International expanded in North Dakota, and in April 2000, was one of the state's largest private employers.

After 1988, further companies moved into North Dakota and Duke Rosendahl, then-economic development official for Hazen, North Dakota, credited Rosenbluth, telling The Wall Street Journal at the time, “Had it not been for Hal, these companies wouldn't even know North Dakota exists.”

As of January 2024, Rosenbluth is a board member of the Herb it Forward Foundation.

Book

 * Rosenbluth, Hal F., and Diane McFerrin Peters. The Customer Comes Second: Put Your People First and Watch ’em Kick Butt. HarperBusiness, 2002. ISBN 978-0-06-052656-6
 * Rosenbluth, Hal F., and Diane McFerrin Peters. Good Company: Caring as Fiercely as You Compete. Addison-Wesley, 1998. ISBN 978-0-201-33982-6
 * Rosenbluth, Hal F., and Diane MacFerrin Peters. Care to Compete? Secrets from America’s Best Companies on Managing with People and Profits in Mind. Perseus Books, 1998. ISBN 978-0-7382-0135-1
 * Rosenbluth, Hal, and Marnie Hall. Hypochondria: What’s behind the Hidden Costs of Healthcare in America. Rodin Books, 2024. ISBN 978-1-957588-28-5