Why I opened Premier Physical Therapy
A dream was fulfilled on a warm morning in August of 2006 when Premier Physical Therapy welcomed its first patient. The anticipation and excitement were immeasurable.
We were fortunate to help eight patients the very first day! Our staff of 3 was more than pleased and honored to be part of the birth of a new locally-owned, physical therapy business. After thousands of patients with hundreds of referral sources, community events, fundraisers and two locations later our business continues to grow to this day. I’m grateful and humbled to have served as the founder and CEO of Premier Physical Therapy. Our focus has been and always will be to improve the quality of life for thousands of people that we serve in our communities.
It started as a goal typed on a paper while completing my degree at Southwest Baptist University. The goal stated that I would operate my own private physical therapy practice someday. I displayed this list of goals at the desk of my first job as a physical therapist where I worked as a staff therapist. It would remain there for several years. Never out of sight and never out of mind. The only question would be when. There were other goals on the paper as well. These included that I would live in a Christ-like manner treating everyone with equality and respect regardless of background or situation, I would continue to promote health and nutrition (I also have a dietetics degree from Missouri State University), and others related to my passion and mission for serving others.
The why is simple. I felt called to serve at what I determined would be the highest level of responsibility. I desired to have an environment in that I could serve my family, my team, my patients, my community, my profession and God. Having our own business was the answer. I also felt that I could possibly create some time-freedom for my family. There is no doubt I knew that there would be risk associated with this decision, especially in today’s healthcare environment, but I also knew that reward and satisfaction could also follow. I was willing to take that risk. I desired to pursue the reward and satisfaction of knowing that I’m doing everything I can. I knew there was potential satisfaction that we would provide a special place for people to work, serve and to ultimately give back. Giving, growing, and receiving are both a professional and personal passionate mission of mine.
I like to create and I’m a firm believer that we create our own culture. This is exactly what we have done here at Premier Physical Therapy. We’ve created an environment that is positive, friendly, loving, and healing while providing care that is highly-skilled. That’s the balance and the key to our success. Our business model is also one that is very organized, measurable, structured and produces the products we need to complete our mission.
I feel very blessed to be part of something so special. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to serve our team, our patients and our community. Having a business is a huge responsibility but for me it has been such a rewarding experience. I’m learned that people will follow because of “why” we are doing what we are doing. The why behind anything is the key. Here at Premier Physical Therapy we all share my original why. The why is to serve and to serve at the highest level. I feel that leading this business guides myself and our team to do what I feel God intended for us to do and this business brings us together with a mission of serving others, improving the quality of their lives.