HOPE Physical Therapy & Wellness opened its first location in 2016 after Adrian Hope, vice president and director of operations, retired from the U.S. Army. For a decade Chera Hope had followed her husband from one duty station to the next. The many disruptions from relocating meant Chera was forced to restart her career again every two or three years.

HOPE Physical Therapy & Wellness’ first location combined physical therapy along with float therapy and, as the company grew, additional services were offered to better serve every client. HOPE Physical Therapy & Wellness was even chosen to be on the television show, “Shark Tank,” because of its unique combination of therapy services.

“We are changing the way people think about physical therapy,” Adrian Hope said. “Physical therapy is not just post-injury or post-surgery. Physical therapy can be preventative. We believe in getting people better, in fewer visits.”

The Hopes have oriented their entire business toward maintaining close connections with both employees and clients. The environment is designed to be calming and homelike and each therapist has their own private treatment room.

“Some of our clients have been chronic pain suffers for the majority of their lives, and we have created a place where they can find some relief,” Adrian Hope said.

Hope admitted that they had difficulty attracting the best talent in physical therapy in Colorado Springs, as they compete against larger organizations who can offer benefits that their organization simply cannot.

But HOPE works hard to earn top therapists. They are allowed, for the most part, to make their own work schedules and a work/life balanced is highly valued.

“We also hire military spouses,” Adrian Hope said, “knowing that they may only be with us for a few years before their family receives a new duty station. This was the struggle for Chera for many years.”

HOPE Physical Therapy & Wellness partners with other small businesses to make health and financial options available to all employees, and, when physical therapy is needed, they provide it internally. The company’s retention program is also focused on providing employees with a focused environment to treat patients with care and specialized programs.

For the past three years, HOPE Physical Therapy & Wellness has been the recipient of various medals in the ‘Best of the Springs’ awards and to win a Gold in the Physical Therapy Category was extremely rewarding, Adrian Hope said.

“As a business owner, it is also wonderful to provide employment to others. It’s awesome to think that our organization can provide for others.”

Adrian and Chera Hope also maintain an outward community focus. The Hopes have donated for years to Hope and Home Foster Care, whose mission it is to provide homes to foster care children across the state. The Hopes also partner with Casa de Luz in the Dominican Republic. Casa de Luz is an orphanage for disabled children in Santo Domingo, where Chera volunteered while they were stationed at the U.S. Embassy.

“Now, HOPE Physical Therapy & Wellness donates to Casa de Luz to pay the annual salary of a physical therapist that works at the orphanage,” Hope said. “It means a lot to us to contribute to the community, the contribution is more important than the visibility of our team.”