Management Contract with Ruggles Service Corp
Ruggles Service Corporation and John Hinckley
Founded by John Hinckley, Ruggles Service Corporation is a multi-association, medical management company in Richmond, VA.
In the early 1970s, John, who was previously a successful banker in Richmond, left the profession to try his hand at something new. The Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists was looking for an Executive Director and a friend of John’s suggested he take a shot at it. According to his son, Stewart Hinckley, his father replied, “I don’t know what the hell that means, but I’ll do it.”
Formerly known as the Institute for Continuing Education (ICE), within a few short months, John and his small company were managing several medical associations, advertising only by word of mouth. By 1976 it was obvious that the company name was cumbersome and difficult to say on the telephone. Considering a name change, John knew he wanted the word “service” in the name as this was the most important thing the company did—provide “service”. On his way home from work one afternoon, John turned on to the street where he lived, Ruggles Road, with his wife and five children, and the rest of the company name was easy: Ruggles Service Corporation.
John continued to serve as the Chief Executive Officer until the early 2000s when he turned the management of the company over to his two oldest children, Stewart Hinckley and Heather Spiess. John Hinckley passed away in 2006 leaving behind a successful, 50+-year-old company which today still provides a foundational backbone for many medical associations in the US.
Heather Austin Spiess
Heather Spiess is the former Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Ruggles Service Corporation, a multi-association, medical management company in Richmond, VA. The company was established in 1974 by her father, John Hinckley who passed away in 2006. Her employment at Ruggles began in 1991 and during her tenure she served as the Executive Director for the Society for Education in Anesthesia, the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants, the Association of Cardiac Anesthesiologists and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists. Her service to the SCA began shortly after joining Ruggles when her father along with the SCA leadership agreed to turn over the Executive Director duties to her. In 2016 after 24 years with Ruggles, Heather sold her shares to her brother and business partner, Stewart Hinckley.
A dance major at Hollins College in Roanoke, VA, she also attended Katharine Gibbs School in Boston. Heather is married to former SCA member and cardiac anesthesiologist, Bruce Spiess, has one son, two grandchildren and two stepchildren and currently lives in Palm Springs, CA.
Above: John Hinckley, CEO