PITTSTON TWP. — It’s the season of giving back.
And Bayada Home Health Care founder Mark Baiada is really taking it to heart.
Baiada recently decided to surprise employees by distributing $20 million from his personal wealth as he takes steps to transition his company to a nonprofit.
Gift amounts are based on each worker’s service with the company — from tens of thousands of dollars for people who have been with Bayada for many years to $50 for workers who started just last week.
Employees in Bayada’s Pittston office found out just how much of the $20 million they were each getting during a celebration Thursday morning.
Physical therapist Brian Jones, of Dupont, has been with the company since 2011 and saw his gift as a sign of gratitude.
“It makes you feel appreciated at your job and for all the work you do,” Jones said. “It’s a feeling of job security, too.”
Division Director Ellen Motta enjoyed seeing the look on her employees’ faces as they opened letters to reveal their gifts.
“They’re just so grateful. They feel so supported and appreciated,” she said.
Motta has been with Bayada for 24 years. She believes the company will be able to carry out its mission on an even larger scale when the transition to a nonprofit is complete in January.
“This really just clarifies and restates why we love what we do here at Bayada,” she said of the monetary gifts. “It keeps people here.”
Bayada, based in New Jersey, is one of the largest home health companies in the United States with revenues in the neighborhood of $1.2 billion, according to a recent report by Home Health Care News.
Its first service office was opened in Philadelphia in 1975.
A newly formed nonprofit will receive ownership of the company, and Baiada said the $20 million giveaway was not a requirement of the transition, according to the report.
