Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Eric Smith.
Dr. Smith, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my voyage to become a health care provider long ago when I was doing my undergraduate work in Michigan at Eastern Michigan University for Business and Communication. I picked up a job working at the University of Michigan at their Pediatric hospital in the pharmacy as a tech. I learned a lot about medicine and illnesses afflicting the population. Things came easy to me to pick up but at that younger age I was not aware that working with patients would be my calling. I then learned some things over the years about weightlifting, exercise, diet and natural remedies.
When I was 27 I went to a Chiropractor for some midback pain and neck pain that was gradually getting worse. He educated me on the root causes structurally in my posture as well as my poor diet that was contributing to this. As I soon got better I researched the opportunity to go to Chiropractic school for my Doctorate. I soon did the required work to move to Chesterfield, Missouri and attend Logan Chiropractic College in pursuit of my Doctorate degree. At that time I had only been attempting to live a healthy lifestyle with better diet choices and exercise. I had figured that with only lightly enjoying the work and jobs I had, it would be better to go back to school in my late 20’s to lie a life in a career I loved as well as make an impact on people’s lives.
In 2007 I attend Logan and became President of my class for 8 of the 10 trimesters. I stepped down later in the program to pursue working with individual Doctors to learn their business structures and practice capabilities. School was teaching us to be a Doctor but not much on the business side. At this point I am blending my love for patient care with my interest in being a business owner.
I graduated Logan in 2012 and later moved to Chicago to work in Willis Tower as an associate in the practice. Within 2 years I ended up buying the practice and have grown it exponentially. Once I bought the practice the focus and attention needed to grow it was substantial. I turned to exercise and fitness as my outlet to grow my body and mind. Within a year of owning my practice I doubled the practice from the previous owner as well as was prepping for my first bodybuilding show in the Physique division at the age of 37. I had went from 254 pounds and 37% body fat to 180 lbs. and 7% body fat in about a year. I have continued to grow my practice, serve more and continue my hobby of competing. Now my practice continues to grow on the 84th floor of Willis Tower and I compete at the National Level for Physique in my age category.
Has it been a smooth road?
There were LARGE struggles along the way!
1. Moving to Chicago all alone
2. Buying a large expensive practice in a highly profile building when banks do not loan easily with student loan debt
3. Making the conscious effort and choice DAILY to work on my body, mind and skill set to improve daily
4. Willis Tower was bought out by Blackstone in my third year of ownership to which they ended all the leases to small business on my floor. I had to negotiate with them and nearly go to court before a settlement was reached. Blackstone is a multi-billion dollar company and I am a lone business owner trying to keep it all together.
5. Restarting my business 85 floors higher and attracting new patients in a new(er) location.
If I had not relocated I would have lost my business.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Optimal Health Chiropractic and Rehabilitation story. Tell us more about the business.
My Chiropractic office specializes in individualized patient care that puts the patients’ needs and goals FIRST. We do not excessively bill or create treatment plans to break a bank. We spend actual time getting to know our patients, treating them as humans with needs as well as provide remarkable care in Chiropractic, Rehabilitation, Diet and Weight Loss. We treat a wide variety of issues from pain to digestive issues to large neurological deficits.
I am most proud that my patients feel that get proper treatment here and that they can refer friends, family and co-workers with the understanding that they WILL be treated very well and respected for their needs. Because of the time and care our patients get, it sets us apart from many other Doctors who make their patients wait, do not listen to needs, over prescribe or have excessive costs.
My patients would say that I am very personable, listen, am effective and also have some bad jokes to make them laugh.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Over the next 5-10 years our healthy industry is going to be in flux. We are getting higher costs with more and more people getting sick. As our generations are seeing the older generations getting more sick from meds and sedentary lifestyles, there is a shift to consider holistic and natural solutions versus pills and drugs. Chiropractors are here to answer that call with a concerted effort to turn them over to other measures if our conservative care is not effective enough.
Contact Info:
- Address: 233 S. Wacker Drive
Floor 84
Chicago, IL 60606 - Website: www.myoptimalhealthchiro.com
- Phone: 312-879-1979
- Email: info@myoptimalhealthchiro.com
- Instagram: @optimalhealthchi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myoptimalhealthchiro/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/optimal-health-chiropractic-and-rehabilitation-chicago-3
Image Credit:
Bersano Photography
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