Today, Rehab Management Holdings (comprising Rehab Management, AimBig Employment, and LiveBig) is honored to be recognized as one of Australia and New Zealand’s Most Innovative Companies. AimBig Employment’s BusyBeans program ranked 8th on the list of innovative health companies, out of over 800 nominated organizations across Australia and New Zealand.

For a business and program that have only recently launched, being placed alongside so many powerful, multinational health organizations is a significant achievement. What began as a simple idea—helping people with disabilities find employment in the hospitality industry—has grown into a life-changing program for Australians.

Experience has shown that people with disabilities often face discrimination and difficulty in finding work. In fact, there are 2.2 million Australians of working age living with disabilities, yet only 1.16 million (52.8%) are members of the Australian workforce.

After months of planning, a pilot program in November 2018, and countless hours of coffee tasting, the BusyBeans program was created to address this need. Our ability to be nimble in the market is one of the things that sets us apart. The BusyBeans program reflects our group’s commitment to being customer-centric, agile, and dedicated to driving change.

Previous overall winners of this recognition include Xero, Planet Innovation, M&C Saatchi, and GroundProbe.

“I’m ecstatic to have our program recognized alongside other huge innovative, global companies. Innovation is one of our core company values, and I’m proud to see the innovative mindset of our staff and their hard work reflected in this award,” said Marcella Romero, Group Founder and CEO of Rehab Management Holdings.

“What started as a plan to help one person living with autism spectrum disorder achieve his dream of working as a barista has evolved into a program that provides people living with disabilities the skills and confidence to find meaningful employment in the hospitality industry. All credit goes to the dedicated staff behind the scenes who make the program run daily, and to their connections with our participants and their families. This is just the beginning of a new way of seeing the connections between employment, community, and wellbeing.”