CEO Frank Sacco and Linda Herbert, aka “Lotsy Dotsy” [Photo: Eileen Soler]

Memorial Healthcare prides itself in hiring employees who have good customer service skills. It’s not enough to know how to deliver a baby or administer a shot. “We are in the people business,” says Ray Kendrick, senior vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer.

In 1992, Memorial took the uncommon step of hiring a full-time clown at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood. Linda Herbert, who had been volunteering as “Lotsy Dotsy” since 1986, entertains children, putting their minds at ease before surgeries. In some cases, she has become so close to families that she was asked to speak at funerals. “It is very unusual,” Herbert says.

Memorial is always hiring, given its growth and 7% turnover. Last fiscal year, it hired 1,225 people, a third of whom were nurses. During peer interviews, potential hires are given the chance to quiz current employees without supervisors nearby.