EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Heidi Bedgar
Vice President, Operations
Meet Heidi – a world-class leader and an all-around amazing woman! 🙌 Prior to joining FastTrack in early 2017, Heidi held successful decision-making roles in claims and clinical departments adding to her almost three decades of industry experience. She considers herself a “homebody” who cherishes time with her husband, kids, and grandkids – not to mention her two miniature Goldendoodles and her collection of potted florals! 😆 Keep reading to get to know all about Heidi!
What is your current position with FastTrack?
I am the Senior Vice President Operations, which I have been for the past year.
What is your typical workweek like?
Most of my time is centered around helping our FastTrack employees deliver on our commitments to our clients. I work closely with our Client Service Directors, Vocational Resources, and Claims Administrative Professional team as we provide services, address barriers, and develop creative solutions to meet our clients’ needs.
Do you work with any specific customers?
I have the pleasure of working with all of our clients in some fashion. I generally get involved during the implementation process in support of our FastTrack team as we partner with the client to operationalize the services they’ve purchased. Working directly with our clients is my favorite part of the job! 🙌
Tell us about your career path within FastTrack…
I joined FastTrack as an Account Manager. I was actually the first Account Manager with FastTrack and had responsibility for supporting all of the clients that FastTrack serviced at that time. As our company grew and expanded the products and services we provide, I was promoted into the role of Vice President of Client Services & Solutions, leading our team of Client Service Directors. Last year I was promoted to my current role as the Senior Vice President of Operations.
How has FastTrack helped your personal and professional development?
Prior to joining FastTrack, I spent nearly 25 years in Life and Disability Insurance managing various teams of claims, clinical, and product experts who provided benefits and services to group employers. Transitioning to FastTrack has allowed me to leverage my years of industry experience and apply it from a new angle. I find it very rewarding to be directly involved in helping to bring new talent to the FastTrack team!
What is something you love about working for FastTrack?
I love that FastTrack is growing quickly but yet we still have the small company feel where we are able to know each other on a more personal level. And while we aren’t always able to immediately deliver on every technology request for our clients, it’s refreshing to be in an environment that’s nimble and can deploy technology in a fraction of the time it takes most larger companies.
Do you have any accomplishments within the organization you’re particularly proud of?
Our TEAM! We have built such an amazing team of individuals that put the client first, work well together, and know how to have fun!
What is your favorite book, movie, or show?
I have two all-time favorite movies that are going to date me a bit: Dirty Dancing and Top Gun. I have watched both movies literally 100s of times and I can pretty much recite every line! 😝 I was very pleasantly surprised when I watched the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, and felt like it was just as good as the first one! I also love to read—or should I say “listen”—to books. I have a library of 100s of audiobooks. A few of my favorite authors are Jodi Picoult & Liane Moriarty. I also love to listen to and read anything by Brene Brown.
Do you have any pets?
We have two miniature Goldendoodles 🐶. Waz is four years old and Cassie is a new addition to our family and is just over a year old. They are truly members of our family, extremely affectionate, and are always there to provide hugs or a big sloppy kiss! Our family wouldn’t be complete without them!
Do you have any hobbies or special interests?
My husband and I really enjoy cooking together. We aren’t master chefs by any means, but we have a lot of fun trying new food and recipes! 🥗 During the summer I enjoy camping—traveling to see new places, hiking, horseback riding, campfires, etc. In the winter I love to go snowmobiling or sit by the fire with a glass of wine! 🍷
What type of activities are you most likely to be up to on the weekends?
I am a homebody and really enjoy just staying home and relaxing on the weekends. I love flowers and spending time caring for them. I don’t have much of a green thumb but Lowes and Home Depot love me as I am a real sucker for colorful potted florals and it’s rare that I leave the store without 1 or 2 new ones in my cart! 🤣
What is your favorite vacation destination? What’s one you haven’t visited yet but would like to in the future?
I love to vacation anywhere with sun and water! I recently had the opportunity to visit my son in Steamboat, Colorado and it was amazing. So much to do no matter the season. I’m looking forward to going back again. My bucket list vacation would be to stay in an ice hotel in Norway during the peak of the Northern Lights—snowmobiling during the day and enjoying the show at night! 🤩
What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?
I would buy a huge cabin on a lake in the Adirondack Mountains with enough bunk rooms for all our kids and grandkids to come and stay with us!
What is your favorite 21st century innovation?
Alexa! I use her for everything from turning on my lights to ordering my groceries! I’m not sure how I functioned without her.
What’s something you loved doing as a kid? Do you still do it now?
Swimming 🏊♀️! I loved to spend the summers in the water and I was on the swim team in school. These days the water needs to be pretty warm for me to actually swim, but I still love to grab a tube or raft and float!
Who is one of your personal heroes?
My third grade teacher, Mrs. Cunningham. She was meticulous and always dressed to the nines—think Jackie Kennedy—and cared for each of her students both academically and personally. I remember her taking the class on a field trip to tour her home (I’m sure that was to let us know she was a real person outside of the classroom!) and we stopped at a local department store on the walk back to school to buy a new winter coat for one of my fellow students that didn’t have one. I kept in touch with her for years after graduating from high school. I’m not sure she ever realized the profound impact she had on me, but she was one of a kind and I often share stories with my friends and family of my time in her classroom.
What is your motto for life?
My quote in my senior yearbook was “Que Sera, Sera” (meaning “Whatever Will Be, Will Be”) and today you will often hear me say, “It is what it is.” I don’t believe in sweating the small stuff or things I can’t control.
What are your top three most overused words or phrases?
“Awesome” and “It is what it is” for sure, but I’m sure there are others that I don’t even realize!
What’s a surprising fact about yourself?
I survived the Manitou Incline hike in Colorado and did it in just under an hour. The Manitou Incline is a hike straight up a mountainside – it climbs over 2,000 vertical feet in just under a mile and has sections as steep as 68% grade. Now I proudly wear my “I survived . . . Never Again” t-shirt! 😱
If there was a movie about your life made, who would you want the narrator to be?
My husband, Dean. Not only has he known me since junior high, but I’ve always told him that he has a voice for TV or radio!
Do you have any nicknames?
I have had a few nicknames through the years but my favorite is “Momo”, which is what my grandchildren call me!
Is there anything not mentioned above that you’d like to share?
This year has been an eventful one! I recently married my college sweetheart and best friend, and our blended family of 4 kids, 2 grandkids, and 2 furkids fills my heart with joy every day! I relocated from New York to Maryland where my husband and I began a significant home renovation project. The process has taken longer than we naively anticipated (we are 8 months in and still going!) and we’ve learned a valuable lesson: Living in a home while you are trying to renovate it is NOT ideal! In the end, it will all be worth it, and we will have a beautiful home to enjoy until we retire and move back to New York where our hearts and family are! ❤️
Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn
