Our Founders
In 1983, Fran Einterz and Joyce Peterson, former Peace Corps volunteers, established Service Alternatives (SA) to provide human services.
In 1997, Fran and Joyce retired from active work and in 2003, they sold the company to a group of long-term employees who, along with all other SA employees, continue to be driven by and expand their original vision.
The Deep Roots of Service Alternatives: A Visit with SA Founder Fran Einterz
A Company on a Mission
Since our inception, Service Alternatives (SA) has been built around a culture of adaptability and creativity in delivering services to our clients. We have achieved this and continue to do so through applying our vision, mission, and values to our work. They are the framework that directs what we do, how we do it, and why. This sets us apart from many organizations that have these things on paper but don’t truly use them as guiderails.
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, SA was defined by extreme growth and big ideas, being in the right place at the right time to take on work that other providers would not.
We set standards both in policy and practice for excellent services, and sometimes extending ourselves beyond our own limits but pushing forward for the greater good. During these years, services expanded from adult independent living programs to include services to children and families, communities and organizations, and the Service Alternatives Training Institute.
Adapting to Change
The years following the recession of 2008 challenged and stretched us. We were recognizing what it would take to sustain during difficult times. We became extraordinarily lean, doing everything we could to preserve our amazing employees and provide a high level of services to our customers and communities. We became resilient and found further strength in our vision, mission, and values.
After this came a period of evaluating our structure and systems, and our potential for sustainability and more strategic growth. This was a time that represented maturity in our leadership and our company. We found the importance of self-reflection, being able to learn and grow through our mistakes, and how to balance traditional and innovative approaches to our services.
An Enduring Vision
While we continue to self-evaluate, as we have at each phase, we remain determined to serve our clients based on best practice standards, not limiting our services solely to what has been mandated or written in policies. Every client deserves dignity, exposure to a wide variety of life experiences, support in reaching their goals, and advocates for their well-being.
We have never been satisfied with simply doing the bare minimum; our culture is rooted in always doing our best, and then finding ways to do even better.
Looking toward the future, we are fortunate to have the unique experiences and contributions of our long-term employees, while also growing and thriving because of the energy and fresh perspectives brought to our company by individuals just getting started in the Human Services field. Collectively, we work to see our communities strengthened, our clients and employees empowered, and all our lives enriched.
