AmericanWork, Inc. was established in July of 1999. The company's founder and Chief Operating Officer, Ken Whiddon, served 10 years in direct service and management positions in Community Mental Health Centers, a Community Service Board, and as Executive Director of MHMRSA Region 2.

AmericanWork was created in an effort to bring together "public" agency commitment to service and the advantage of private sector business structure and flexibility. Mr. Whiddon was one of the original founders of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network and served as its first President. He was an active member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Addictive Diseases.

Over the years, AmericanWork has promoted an atmosphere of caring by "meeting the individual where he or she is" and taking into account each individual consumer's needs when providing services. This allows AmericanWork to achieve their ultimate goal to allow consumers to live their recovery.

It has helped pioneer the peer support-counseling concept and help make Georgia the first state to successfully implement such programs as a Medicaid billable service.