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'Building Athletico ... was a family affair'

'Building Athletico ... was a family affair'

Q: Describe your company.

A: Athletico Physical Therapy is passionate about helping our patients live healthy and pain-free lives. At our core, we are a physical therapy provider, but we ultimately offer something for “everybody.” ... In our centers you'll see people of all ages including children with orthopedic conditions, new moms and seniors that are confronted with chronic pain. Athletico's athletic trainers keep athletes of all ages safe and healthy. We partner with employers, educating them on safe work habits and providing work comp services. This is just a small sample of the expertise we provide in our 360 centers located in nine states.

Q: Do you plan to hire additional staff or make changes in the next year?

A: Athletico has grown significantly in 2016, and that upward trajectory will continue into 2017 and beyond. As we look ahead, we are planning to invest in new centers, hire and train new staff members and will continue making improvements to our existing clinics.

Q: What will your company's main challenge be in the next year?

A: Over the next year we will be focused on implementing 1-2 platform wide system updates related to outcomes and electronic medical records. We will continue to work tirelessly ensure our quality of care improves as Athletico grows.

Q: What book is on your nightstand?

A: I currently have two books on my nightstand. “Above the Line” by Urban Meyer and “Live from NY — History of Saturday Night Live.”

Q: If you were not doing this job, what would be doing?

A: I truly love sports and working with athletes of all ages. If I wasn't working at Athletico, I would likely be working in college athletics. College student athletes play for the love of their sport, and that type of enthusiasm is contagious.

Q: What's a hot industry trend?

A: In the physical therapy industry, evidence based practice, where we are able to integrate individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research, has become popular. And the evolution of sub-specialties is becoming one of the hottest trends. We have experts in many areas, from head injury and concussion management to our golf performance experts. Because of this, more doctors and patients are working with physical therapists to enjoy life to the fullest.

Q: If you had one tip to give to a rookie CEO, what would it be?

A: Earning the CEO title does not mean you are an expert in every area. As a rookie CEO, conduct a SWOT analysis on yourself to determine your strengths and weaknesses. After this exercise, your job description should focus on what you do best. For your weaknesses, surround yourself with people who can help you fill in the blanks. And most importantly, never stop learning from your management team and your employees.

Q: Do you have a business mantra?

A: I have two business mantras. “Stay humble, stay nervous” is a terrific philosophy courtesy of Gordon Segal from Crate & Barrel. To me, this means regardless of your success, you must remember a team of hard workers and, to some extent, luck helped get you there. I also subscribe to Starbucks' Howard Schultz mantra that “everything matters.” Everything we do at Athletico affects our patients, and this is something that we constantly remind ourselves about.

Q: From a business outlook, whom do you look up to?

A: I admire three business leaders. When making a difficult decision, I often hear Peter Drucker's quote stating, “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” In addition, I admire Ginni Rometty and Howard Schultz for being engaged CEOs who are fully supportive of their businesses.

Q: What is an interesting fact about the company that most may not know?

A: Building Athletico from a one clinic operation to a 360-clinic company was a family affair. In fact, my father made all of the treatment tables for our first 80-90 centers. The Athletico brand would not be where it is today without my parents' love and support.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: While I am passionate about Athletico and my work, my family comes first. I spend as much time with my wife and three daughters as possible, and they typically decide what we do during that time. I am also focused on living a healthy lifestyle, which is why I exercise regularly.

Q: What was your first paying job?

A: I grew up in Olds, Iowa, which is a farming community. When I was 10 years old, I began working on a farm. I made $2 an hour walking beans, installing tile in grain fields and baling hay and straw. It was hard work, but I learned so much about myself, my community and the value of a dollar.

Q: If you could put your company name on a sports venue, which one would you choose?

A: If there were plans to build a new Chicago indoor-outdoor retractable dome facility, I could envision the Athletico name on the building.

Q: Two people to follow on Twitter and why.

A: @Morning_Joe for politics and @AJSM_Sportsmed for current trends in sports medicine & rehabilitation.

Mark Kaufman

<b>President/CEO</b><b>Athletico Physical Therapy</b>625 Enterprise Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523

Industry: Health care

Website: https://www.athletico.com

Age: 52

Family Information: Wife Mary Ann, daughters Fotini, Margaret and Christina

Hometown: Olds, Iowa

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