DeWITT — Onondaga Physical Therapy has recently opened a new location to provide its outpatient physical-therapy services on Syracuse’s east side.
The new clinic, its fifth, opened its doors on Feb. 1 in DeWitt. It is located alongside Metro Fitness East at 6800 E. Genesee St., in the former Track & Racquet Club/Fitness Forum, but operates on a separate five-year lease.Onondaga Physical Therapy says it offers “one-on-one care for injuries, illnesses, and conditions through modern physical therapy techniques.”
The new DeWitt office has one physical therapist and one office coordinator, and more hiring could follow with growth in the practice.
“Obviously, as we grow our patient base, we’ll certainly increase [the employee count] from there as we need to,” says Lauris Rigdon, the firm’s CEO and sole owner, and one of its physical therapists. He spoke to HealthCare Provider / CNYBJ on Feb. 5.
Julie Dmochowski leads the clinic, which operates in a 2,000-square-foot space. Dmochowski previously worked at the clinic’s Onondaga Hill location, says Rigdon. The company also hired a new employee to provide service on Onondaga Hill.
Onondaga Physical Therapy employs about 15 full-time workers across all its offices.
In DeWitt, it operates on a lease separate from Metro Fitness East, but the clinic’s patients can use the onsite fitness center and indoor running track.
“We have full access to the entire facility as part of our lease as well,” says Rigdon.
Onondaga Physical Therapy provides traditional orthopedic physical therapy, but will also offer gait and balance training, rehabilitation post-concussion, as well as running and sport-specific training.
Search for space
Onondaga Physical Therapy had been working to find real estate so it could open a location on the east side of Syracuse.
A connection through a local group helped move the process along, as Rigdon recalled it.
Both Rigdon and Randy Sabourin, owner of Metro Fitness, are members of the Entrepreneurial Society of Central New York.
Rigdon also knew Sabourin when he rented space at Crouse Hospital’s physical-therapy clinic.
Sabourin had suggested Rigdon consider opening a DeWitt office at 6800 E. Genesee St.
“It really became a priority for us to make that happen there,” says Rigdon.
As part of the lease, Edgewater Group handled the renovation work in preparing the space for operations.
“They installed the bathroom and then re-did all of the flooring and painted the walls … the big thing was probably the bathroom, the carpeting, and the paint,” says Rigdon.
Onondaga Physical Therapy used company cash to invest about $20,000 to cover startup costs in opening the DeWitt location, he adds.
The company also had to purchase four treatment tables, an ultrasound machine, and other therapy-specific equipment.
Onondaga Physical Therapy’s other four offices are Baldwinsville, Cicero, Salina, and Onondaga Hill.
Rigdon first launched the company in 2003 on Onondaga Hill.
All clinics are “uniquely located” in fitness centers, according to a company news release.
Rigdon declined to disclose the company’s revenue totals, but says that Onondaga Physical Therapy expects to grow revenue by 35 percent this year.
The company logged about 16,000 patient visits to its offices in 2015.
