How Team OPTI was formed
The staff at Omaha Physical Therapy Institute (OPTI) has been carefully chosen in order to make sure that as a physical therapy team, we are providing patients with the most effective and efficient care possible in a fun, positive environment. Here is a little story about how the staff members all met Katie and Brent Cordery, physical therapists and owners of OPTI, before they hired them.
Lori Koehn, Office Manager: Katie and Lori first met while working together prior to the opening of Omaha Physical Therapy Institute. Katie always had so much respect for Lori’s work ethic, kindness, compassion, and commitment to her job duties. Lori is also a lot of fun to be around! When Katie and Brent opened up Omaha Physical Therapy Institute, they knew Lori would be the perfect fit for managing the office. And she is!
Sara Loeffelholz Palinski, PT: Sara, Katie, and Brent go way back to when Sara was in high school. She spent some time observing at Omaha Physical Therapy Institute after some family members had been patients. Sara went on to college, then PT school before running into Katie and Brent again at the Marian High School Hall of Fame banquet, where Sara was being inducted for her success on the softball field. Through conversation that night, Katie and Brent found out that Sara was in her final year of physical therapy school and would be looking for a job soon. From their knowledge of the Loeffelholz family and Sara’s commitment to education, her kindness, and her fun, outgoing personality, Katie and Brent felt Sara would be a great fit for Team OPTI! And they were right!
Marc Hunley, PT: When Katie was playing soccer at Creighton, Marc was the student athletic trainer helping out with the women’s soccer team at the time. Marc and Katie were then in the same physical therapy class at Creighton. Katie always admired Marc’s friendliness, his kindness, and of course his laugh! Several years passed and when Katie and Brent moved back to Omaha, Brent joined a men’s soccer team (Barrett’s FC) and Marc just happened to be a teammate of his. Through post-game conversations, Brent got a feel for Marc’s personality and his treatment approach with physical therapy. When OPTI needed to hire another physical therapist, Katie and Brent both brought up Marc’s name. The three of them met and the rest is history! Marc has been a great addition to the OPTI team with his dedication to his patient’s progress and his research in pain science.
Braden Swanson, PT: Through rave reviews from several references, Braden got an interview with Katie and Brent. During the interview, they were impressed by Braden’s knowledge of the current pain science research and his easy going, fun personality. Katie and Brent decided to invite Braden to a “dinnerview” with the OPTI staff. He fit right in! Braden has been a great addition to the team at OPTI with his drive to continue his education, his ability to make patients feel comfortable in the clinic, and his friendly and upbeat personality.
Ally Brown, Assistant Office Manager: Ally first walked (well actually crutched) into Katie and Brent’s life as a patient when she tore her ACL in high school. She developed a strong relationship with Katie and Brent and even landed a job in high school as a part time rehab tech at OPTI! Throughout her college career, Ally kept in touch with Katie and Brent and upon graduating with degrees in Athletic Training and psychology, was “recruited” by the Cordery’s to join team OPTI. Ally has always demonstrated an amazing ability to make others around her feel special. Her warm and kind heart along with her silly and charming personality, have been an amazing addition to the team at OPTI!
Jenna Springer, Physical Therapy Aide: Jenna is known as Omaha Physical Therapy Institute’s physical therapy aide but Katie likes to refer to her as the “OPTI Hostess.” She first came to OPTI as a patient of Katie’s in high school and has kept in touch as she now wants to pursue a career in physical therapy herself. During her physical therapy in high school, Katie was always impressed with how positive Jenna was despite having a severe injury and how easy it was for her to engage in conversation with other patients. Jenna was added to team OPTI her Junior year of college as her positive energy is consistent with what we want patients to feel when they come into OPTI. She has now graduated with a degree in exercise science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
It’s funny how life can bring people into your life that make such an impression with their morals, values, and kindness that you want to spend your days working next to them. We are truly fortunate to have such a wonderful staff at OPTI and our patients are lucky to have these outstanding individuals taking care of them.