President & CEO, Vaught, Inc.
By Samantha Redd
Christopher Vaught, though not likely to jump out of an airplane anytime soon, is a calculated risk taker. His most daring risk? Leaving a great job to embrace entrepreneurialism.
In 2008, Vaught left his job at Summers County ARH Hospital, driven by his desire for the next big idea, and turned a consulting and project management venture into his very own business. Today, he is the owner, president and CEO of an establishment that has evolved over the past four years into a health care consulting and business development company.
Born and raised in Beckley, Vaught’s most treasured memories are of playing baseball as a kid. His parents were educators who raised him in a home that valued hard work and celebrated success, and they considered school to be Vaught’s only job. Innovation, however, was obvious even at a young age. Along with mowing grass and doing yard work, Vaught also ran lemonade stands, organized neighborhood talent shows and taught basic computer programming to educators. Now that he is older, Vaught realizes he learned a lot about management style and leadership from his parents as well.
Today, Vaught is trying to create memories of a similar childhood experience for his sons.
“It is very important to my wife and me that we help create great memories for our boys,” Vaught says, “and we have a lot of fun doing it. Our sons are involved in church, play team and individual sports and love the lake. We also love sports, and one of our favorite things to do is attend West Virginia Power baseball games.”
Inspired by his parents, Vaught encourages creativity and entrepreneurship in his own children. His boys are often starting new companies or building a prototype for a new product. Vaught says that through family fun, involvement and their own ingenuity, his sons are learning the value of hard work, practice, success and failure, and that life isn’t always fair.
Spending time with his family, coaching youth sports and teaching Sunday school are only snapshots of the generous ways Vaught uses his time. He serves as a board member for several organizations, including Beckley Health Right, WVRx and the YMCA of Southern West Virginia, and he helped establish a free health clinic in Hinton, WV, called Hinton Health Right. He also serves on the Maxwell Hill Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization in Raleigh County and was recently appointed president of the local school improvement council.
Vaught’s dedication to volunteerism and involvement in his community are reflected in the way he runs his business.
“We have the opportunity to innovate every day and, in a very meaningful way, have a positive impact on people’s lives,” he says. “I’m a big believer in company culture. We have developed a culture based on hard work, tenacity, integrity, creativity, service and faith.”
When it comes to living and working in West Virginia, the Mountain State is Vaught’s true home. He chose to expand his own roots by planting his business here because the state has provided him with the experiences, education and relationships that led to his success.
“I started Vaught, Inc. in West Virginia for several reasons. This is my home and has created the opportunities I now enjoy,” Vaught says. “It was my professional experiences here that allowed me to identify the health-related business opportunities that existed within the state. Plus, the work force here is unmatched, as proven by our own smart, creative and hardworking staff. Finally, if technology allows us to be anywhere in the world, why not be in a great place to live and work?”
Photography by Tracy Toler on location at Adventures On the Gorge
