Cheers to 15 Years!
Omaha Physical Therapy Institute was established in 2007 by myself, Katie Cordery, and my husband, Brent Cordery. We officially opened our doors on July 9th, 2007! We CANNOT BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN 15 years! Wowsers! There are SO MANY memories but here are a few that stick out in our minds…
We remember signing our first lease with a 5 year term on it and thinking, “are we going to be able to do this?”
We remember waiting for the phone to ring…waiting for someone to call and schedule an appointment. Gahhhh!
We remember going out and begging physicians, PA’s, NP’s, coaches, AT’s to send us patients…to trust us…to give us a try.
We remember working two jobs each to ensure some financial income (and to be able to eat other food besides PB & J!).
We remember how exciting it was to start filling our schedules and having patients enjoy and appreciate their experience with us. So cool!
We remember quitting our second jobs and fully committing our time to OPTI!
We remember hiring our first employee, Lori Koehn, who has been our rock, our friend, and someone we can always count on. She has been a huge component to our growth as our office manager! Don’t try to steal her cause she is ours!
We remember working 12-14 hour days, working the weekends all the time, but not really minding it as we knew we were doing the right thing and providing quality physical therapy services to our community. We had (and still have!) purpose and joy in what we were accomplishing!
We remember initiating relationships and friendships with professional colleagues on a foundation of trust and sincerity and seeing these relationships grow over the years has been so fulfilling.
We remember adding our Athletes In Motion (A.I.M.) Clinic inside the Omaha Sports Complex to allow a comprehensive return to play rehabilitation for our athletes! So awesome!
We remember hiring Sara Palinski, PT, DPT and thinking how serendipitous it was that we ran into her at the Marian High School Hall of Fame (which she was inducted to) and having a conversation about her graduating from PT school that May…and how that led to us to “recruit” her as an amazing, awesome, and intelligent human being and physical therapist. Seriously…she’s awesome and she has been with us through a LOT of our business life!
We remember hiring Marc Hunley, PT, DPT…thank goodness he was a member of Brent’s (almost professional) soccer team, Barrett’s FC…and during post-game hydration, had a conversation about being a PT in town with Brent…I had known Marc since college and always enjoyed being around him and knew he was a smart dude…we needed another PT and Marc seemed like the perfect choice for the OPTI team. Marc is a BUSY dad and is not always afforded the best night’s sleep but he doesn’t let it affect his cool, calm demeanor in the clinic or his dedication to his patients with his ongoing drive to make sure his treatments are consistent with quality, science-based research.
We remember hiring Ally Brown, ATC…oh our little Ally who first crutched into our life as an ACL victim in high school and has never lost touch…Brent and I pursued Ally as our athletic trainer and assistant office manager and although we knew she would bring great things to the team at OPTI, never imagined the positive impact she has made on everyone who works at OPTI and who walks in the door of OPTI! Everyone knows Ally because Ally takes the time to get to know everyone…she makes everyone feel important!
We remember hiring Matt Vetter, PT, DPT…such a smart and kind human being. His practical mind along with his motivated personality made him an easy addition to the OPTI team. An Ironman triathlete who is now fighting fires (yep, he decided to become a firefighter) and working occasionally at OPTI…the guy is super human!
We remember hiring Ashlie Eckmann, PT, DPT…what a wonderful person and smart and sweet physical therapist. Her gentle affect and caring attitude has been a blessing for us and our patients. She is full of talent, creativity, and compassion.
We remember hiring Jack Matuella, PT, DPT…he showed up to his interview in a bow tie…and knowing Jack now, it totally makes sense. Jack is so professional, smart, and driven but also has a fun and silly side to him. Jack is genuinely invested in helping people and is constantly striving to learn more. We are so lucky to have him on our team.
We remember our staff growing personally and professionally. Getting engaged, getting married, having children, seeking different adventures.
We remember having patients refer their friends and family members, physicians coming in as patients and referring their friends and family, and having returning patients. Amazing!
We look back on these 15 years and cherish the friendships, the successes, and the continued dedication to the mission of OPTI. We haven’t lost site of what we stand for or who we are. We had a chance to provide healthcare in a way that ensured people were getting the care, attention, and time that they deserved and we took that opportunity…
There have been some definite lows but the highs, the excitement, the fulfillment has overshadowed the tough times and made this journey worth it for us! Thank you to everyone that has supported us through the years, thank you for our wonderful staff that is truly like family to us, and thank you to our families and friends for your endless love.
Cheers to 15 years of serving the Omaha community! We look forward to continuing to do what we love with the people we love and care about for many years to come!
-Katie & Brent Cordery
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