Today we’d like to introduce you to Renae Eichholz.
Hi Renae, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Here is my bio:
Renae S. Eichholz – Biography (2025)
Renae S. Eichholz, Founder & President of Precision Practice Management – A Vee HealthTek Company, began her professional journey early, obtaining her Missouri Real Estate License at just 19 years old. Although real estate was not her long-term calling, the experience helped her recognize her passion for numbers, problem solving, and business operations. That insight led her to pursue certification as a Certified Procedural Coder (CPC), launching her into the world of medical billing and healthcare administration.
Building on this early interest in business operations, Renae began her healthcare career as a receptionist at an ophthalmology practice, where she learned every aspect of the business and naturally gravitated toward billing and credentialing. She then spent three formative years in the business office of a four-physician orthopedic practice in Belleville, Illinois. In 1993, at age 26, she took an entrepreneurial leap and founded Precision Billing Services, Inc. She started the company from her spare bedroom with one employee—who remains with the company as a vice president—and a newborn son by her side. Precision quickly outgrew the home office, moved to downtown Belleville, and eventually purchased the historic Washington Theatre building, which Renae spent nearly two decades renovating and restoring.
By 2001, just eight years after launching the business, Precision reached over $1 million in annual revenue and grew to nearly 50 employees. Recognizing that true expansion required strong partners, Renae helped form Precision Practice Management (PPM), a company that broadened leadership capacity and allowed her to focus on the organization’s largest clients and mentoring senior staff.
Over the next two decades, Renae guided Precision through major growth, technological change, industry shifts, and an expanding national footprint. What began as a small billing service evolved into a multifaceted healthcare operations powerhouse—including revenue cycle management, coding, credentialing, consulting, and IT services—serving thousands of medical providers nationwide.
Her entrepreneurial energy extended beyond healthcare. Alongside her husband, Mark, Renae purchased and renovated another historic Belleville property, opening Copper Fire restaurant in 2018. Despite the challenges of COVID 19, Renae restructured operations, reimagined the business model, and led the restaurant to new success.
In September 2025, Precision entered its biggest evolution yet—becoming the onshore base of Vee HealthTek, forming a unified organization of more than 7,000 employees. Renae continues to serve as President and Founder, guiding teams through this historic transition while maintaining the same hands on, people focused leadership style that defined her career.
Renae has long been woven into the fabric of the Metro East business and civic community. She has supported the Belleville Chamber of Commerce, Belleville Historic Society, Belleville Main Street, Art on the Square, and the Illinois Liquor & Beverage Association. One of her most meaningful commitments has been her involvement with the Belleville CEO program, where she has served as a mentor, board member, sponsor, and host for future young entrepreneurs.
Despite a lifetime of professional success, Renae considers her greatest joy to be her family. A proud mother of four accomplished sons and step sons, she is now blessed with three beautiful grandchildren—and one more on the way—hoping for a few more in the years to come. Her growing family continues to be her deepest source of pride, gratitude, and inspiration. She attributes her lifelong drive, work ethic, and perseverance to the profound influence of her mom and dad, who instilled in her the values that shaped both her life and career.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing a company from 1 employee to 50, then hundreds of employees is not easy. It’s all about culture and getting that right. I experienced the same thing with Copper Fire. Things didn’t get better until the culture was right. It only takes one person to cause issues. Putting a culture in place so those people de-select themselves is the best thing I’ve done at both businesses. Covid was an incredibly difficult time for me/Copper Fire. It almost ruined my/us financially and our marriage was tested. There have been many times over the years in both businesses, lying in bed, wondering how we will make payroll. I tend to take on the biggest and hardest projects and have to work myself out of the crisis. Precision operated “under the radar” and nobody knew we existed. I learned that owning a bar/restaurant, you are thrust into the public and criticized openly and socially. I had to learn to take the things that hurt me the most, learn from it and make them my tools to “rebrand”.
We’ve been impressed with Precision Practice Management and Copper Fire, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Precision: I am most proud of my perseverance, hard work and dedication to everyone that works for me. I love that so many have made their career with me/Precision. Our tenure is unheard of. Our culture is exactly what I like. And I feel we will make a difference in our industry with our new, tech enabled company.
Copper Fire: Admittedly, we were terrible when we opened and for quite a while after opening. I listened and adapted to every criticism while trying to rebuild. I created a private VIP group so I could get constructive feedback. I now have over 700 people in my private group for Copper Fire. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve but also am probably looked at as ruthless, but the reality is I am uncompromising because I have very high standards. I think I flipped the bar staffing expectations upside down. I have a strong sense of right and wrong. My goal was to have the same culture as Precision. I have that now and the minute that happened, the successes of Copper Fire continue to grow. I am very proud of that, proud of surviving Covid and proud to have turned Copper Fire into something I would enjoy if just walking into it for the first time.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I grew up on the outskirts of Belleville and 100% of my immediate family when I was a child was from Belleville. I spent most of my childhood shopping, eating and staying at my Great Aunt’s on N Jackson. She was like a grandma to me. Downtown Belleville was thriving when I was a child. When I was in high school and could drive, we drove downtown and around the square (circle fountain) and I worked at the McDonald’s across from BTHE. But then the mall opened in Fairview and our quaint downtown kind of dried up. When I started Precision, I was drawn to Downtown. I sought out an office on 1st and West Main. It was a ghost town. It took decades for it to start coming back. My dad always told me if someone starts improving the property, their neighbor will and it becomes infectious. He was absolutely right. I’ve seen the Downtown go from a ghost town to thriving again. I want to see the East end continue to build north, south and west. I’m beginning to see momentum. Yes, it’s been 30+ years, but it’s happening. Our Downtown is all privately owned with a bunch of women-owned businesses (last count 70%). I want to see ongoing development and draw more businesses and homeowners to Belleville. What I least like about our city is the number of people that have lost hope and talk about all the crime. IMO, crime and bad things are everywhere. What we have is a solid community and a police force that keeps me feeling safe.
Contact Info:
- Website: thecopperfire.com and precisionpractice.com
- Instagram: #thecopperfire
- Facebook: @thecopperfire
