Tom Racobaldo honored: Crothall CEO to retire after decades of leadership
Tom Racobaldo honored: Crothall CEO to retire after decades of leadership
By sydney | Published: 2025-10-01 20:47:00 | Source: Crothall Healthcare
Tom Racobaldo honored: Crothall CEO to retire after decades of leadershipÂ
In 1979, Tom Racobaldo refinished hospital floors and cleaned patient rooms as an intern in Crothall’s administration. Six months later, he received his first assignment: managing a 50-bed hospital with 10 employees in Northeast Philadelphia.Â
After forty-six years, Racobaldo will retire from his position as CEO of Crothall. Known for his modesty, Racobaldo will complete nearly half a century in business at the top of his game, having helped build a company that now supports more than 1,000 hospitals and has grown to nearly $2.2 billion in annual revenue.
Racobaldo is consistent, says Compass One Healthcare CEO Bobby Coté
“The attitude and determination to grow the business has built a unique culture while delivering exceptional financial results. Tom has done it all,” says Côté. He has stepped into the shoes of our operators, starting as a night supervisor. He has also developed our current leaders into a strong team that will shape our future. “His consistency, ability and personality have set the standard for leadership at our company.” Â
Racobaldo shared with us his key thoughts on a variety of topics, from his humble beginnings, the lessons he learned along the way, advice for young employees starting out, and the keys to how a company grows its business:Â
The early years.
Racobaldo’s path to success was on pause a few years into his career. After working for the company for several years, he moved to the West Coast to take a sales position. However, the company was sold twice and underwent several changes, leaving him concerned about its future.Â
Fortunately, Graeme Crothall, founder of Crothall, decided to start a new Crothall company in 1991. He contacted Racobaldo in 1993 and asked him to return to the East Coast to become Senior Regional Director of Operations. While the new Crothall was much smaller than his rivals, it enabled Racobaldo to assume a pivotal leadership role that was crucial to his career.Â
“As a startup, you do it all. I was writing policies and procedures, proposals for new businesses, and giving presentations to new businesses,” Racobaldo said. And I was just on the road to building the business because when you’re a small company, every account is so valuable. “It was a lot of hard work, and I thrived, but that was probably the hardest part of my career.”Â
 As it stands today, the new Crothall company succeeded in distinguishing itself from its competitors.Â
Crothall’s keys to success
While other providers may consolidate all hospital support services under one management team, Racobaldo says Crothall succeeds because it is a separate unit of Compass One Healthcare. By focusing all of its resources on a separate service line, Crothall outperformed its competitors. Â
“There’s no doubt that we deliver much better results in our support services departments than our competitors. It’s the specialty piece, where we focus our resources on each service line, and it’s the quality of people we can attract.”Â
He says Compass One Healthcare’s business model also gives Crothall an advantage in operational leadership. “Our leaders have grown up in this field, and they know it inside and out. I have eight department heads who have, on average, 20 years of experience. For me, there is no better formula for success.Â
People-first management style
Mike Villani, Crothall’s newly appointed CEO, says Racobaldo’s “people first” approach will have a significant impact on his leadership style.Â
Racobaldo thought Successful managers must strike a balance between empathizing with their employees and identifying the right moments to help them improve. He believes in treating everyone with respect, regardless of their title.Â
Advice for young managers
Racobaldo realizes that managers within the unit are often under tremendous pressure, and refers to the COO position as “the toughest job in the business.”Â
“They are the front line of leadership managing the workers. But they receive directions and complaints from everywhere: from their supervisors, from nurses and other clients, and they also need to train and supervise their employees.”Â
He says the mission is like a boot camp for anyone taking on the role.Â
For those who want to advance, he says it’s important to make sure you’re clear with your boss about your career ambitions.Â
“Don’t just assume they know you want to do more. The fact is that some people love what they do, and don’t want to do more. Most people in leadership positions want to do more. My advice is to communicate effectively and take ownership of your career. Don’t leave it to someone else to decide.Â
What he’ll miss most about Crothall
“.”First, camaraderie. I enjoy developing people and interacting with really good people. I will also miss competing. I think most people who are good at business have a competitive streak in them Â
“I’ll also miss the culture that Bobby created. Before Bobby became CEO, we were a mission-oriented, goal-oriented company, and there wasn’t as much focus on people. Bobby turned that around 180 degrees. He made people realize that there can be balance in your life.”Â
His legacy
“.”People ask, what is your heritage? My answer is, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I’m also happy that the company has planned well for its future.Â
“We have a whole new team of senior leaders, and they have a long trajectory. The most important thing for me is knowing that this company continues to thrive with new leadership. Then, I will know that I actually did my job.”“Â
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