Company Name:
Blind Early Services TN
Industry:
Nonprofit/Early Intervention Services
Location:
Brentwood, TN
Services Used:
PEO, General HR Consulting
The Client
Blind Early Services TN (BEST) is a Tennessee-based nonprofit that provides early intervention services for families of children with vision disabilities from birth through age six. Based in the Brentwood area and serving families across the state, the organization supports children and caregivers during a critical stage of development with specialized, in-home services. Today, BEST has 15 full-time staff members and 15 contract staff serving 360 families statewide, led by co-founder and executive director Alison Clougherty.
Founded in 2020, the organization started small. In its earliest days, HR and business functions were handled internally. That worked when the team consisted of only a handful of employees, but as Blind Early Services expanded its reach and added staff to meet growing demand, managing those responsibilities in-house became increasingly difficult.
The Opportunity
A few years after launching, BEST brought in LBMC Employment Partners to help support its growth. As the team expanded and the organization began serving hundreds of families across Tennessee, leadership recognized that payroll, benefits administration, onboarding, and employee relations required more time and expertise than they could reasonably manage internally. According to Alison Clougherty, bringing in LBMC EP helped remove a significant operational burden from the nonprofit’s leadership team.
Today, LBMC Employment Partners supports BEST with payroll, benefits, onboarding for new staff, and guidance through hiring and employee transition matters. For an organization focused on delivering high-quality services to children and families, having a trusted HR partner has allowed the team to stay centered on its mission rather than being pulled into administrative complexity.
“They come to our office and speak with our staff, go through everything in the benefits packages,” explained Alison. “It’s been great. It’s been absolutely great. They’ve been so helpful and take so much off our plates.”
The Impact
Alison says the partnership has made BEST more efficient and has reduced the potential for errors that can come with managing HR internally. Rather than trying to navigate payroll deadlines, benefits details, and employee questions without specialized expertise, the organization now relies on LBMC Employment Partners to guide those processes and help ensure staff members are well supported. LBMC Employment Partners even comes on-site to walk employees through benefits packages and answer questions directly.
That support has been especially valuable during times that require added sensitivity and professionalism, such as navigating employee transitions. Alison noted that LBMC Employment Partners has helped make those situations seamless, respectful, and easy to manage, while being mindful of everyone involved. She also pointed to open enrollment as an example of how much the partnership has simplified operations. LBMC Employment Partners handled the process and communications with staff, allowing her team to stay focused on serving families.
As BEST continues to grow, Alison sees even more demand ahead. With the potential need to support closer to 500 families across Tennessee in the future, having an experienced HR partner in place gives the organization confidence that its internal team can stay focused on care, quality, and impact while LBMC Employment Partners helps support the people side of the business.
“Don’t hesitate. Outsource it if it’s not your specialty. Focus on the things that are your specialties so that you’re keeping those high quality, and let the experts in HR handle that for you.”
– Alison Clougherty, Blind Early Services TN
