Nomad Therapies makes house calls
NOMAD THERAPIES
Perry Kimber and his wife, Katherine Daniels, have been working as physiotherapists in Saskatoon since the early 1990s. Their latest project, a clinic that combines standard and mobile therapy, has re-energized them in a way neither imagined, according to Kimber.
“I say this almost every day to somebody: as a clinician and a business owner and a manager, I’m like 10 years younger,” Kimber said of Nomad Therapies, which he and Daniels opened in the spring of 2015 before moving into a new location off Eighth Street late last year.
Kimber, who grew up in Abbey, Sask., and Daniels, who hails from Clavet, studied physiotherapy at the University of Saskatchewan in the late 1980s before doing their masters’ degrees. The pair spent almost two decades practising in the city before selling their clinic, a move that led to the creation of Nomad Therapies.
The new clinic is unusual because, in addition to physical, occupational and massage therapy, it offers speech therapy. Kimber said it’s important to recognize that many patients — especially those who have suffered strokes — need speech therapy as much as physical and occupational therapy. Combining them just made sense, he said.
Nomad Therapies is also unusual in that its employees spend a good deal of time on the road, visiting patients — many of whom are older — who often cannot travel to the clinic themselves.
“We’re not the first physios in the world to see people in their home, but we’re the first private clinic to do it on a larger scale,” Kimber said.
Seeing his parents age has given him a new perspective on the challenges facing Saskatoon’s elderly people, and going into the community to treat them has been “fantastic,” he said. Spending time on the road has given him a new appreciation for working on everything from sports injuries to accident recovery in the clinic.
Kimber said the approach he and Daniels chose isn’t always easy.
“You never hang your coat up for the day,” he said with a laugh.
At the same time, selling their old clinic and opening Nomad Therapies, which embodies a different philosophy, has been extremely refreshing, he said.
“The opportunity to make a massive difference in their life is huge, with these people, and it’s very, very rewarding work to do. But it’s also very very difficult to manage in your everyday schedule. When we started this, we knew that — and we just said, ‘We’ll make this work. We’ll figure out a way to deliver this kind of service in a way that makes sense.’” Nomad Therapies Address: #100—1202 Emerson Avenue Phone: 306-382-2939 Web: Nomadtherapies.ca Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Call for appointment or book online.
HERC’S NUTRITION
Joshua MacGowan opened his first nutrition and supplement store in Saskatoon early last year. A few weeks ago, the 23-year-old entrepreneur opened his second.
“For now, people are willing to drive across the city to support the local guy, but I didn’t know how long that would last,” MacGowan said. “So I wanted to make my locations the most easily accessible for people to shop at.”
MacGowan, who grew up in Saskatoon, spent about five years working in the nutrition and supplement business before opening Herc’s Nutrition in Sutherland. He said the franchise was appealing because it allowed him to customize the store’s offerings while retaining the logistical support of a major business.
His second location, which opened for business in Stonebridge three weeks ago, carries a range of vitamins, minerals, protein powders, weight loss supplements and energy boosters. While the store caters to bodybuilders and powerlifters, its products can be used by anyone, MacGowan said.
“We have stuff for people wanting to look better, feel better, have more energy, and we’re starting to get more of those people through, and I’d really like to (expand) in that market,” he said.
At the same time, MacGowan and his staff take pride in knowing everything about the products they carry — “the best product selection in the city,” he said, adding the supplement industry is full of “garbage” that comes with unrealistic promises and misleading marketing. Herc’s sells products that its owner and staff believe can genuinely help.
“We’re here to help guide people past the flash, I guess, past the claims and into what the real expectations should be,” he said. “And so people end up really happy, because they know what they can expect and they get the results that they’re looking for — because you give them the right expectations.”
MacGowan said he’s already planning more expansions into markets across the province, which wouldn’t be possible without the store’s loyal customer base.
“People tell their friends to come in here, they recommend us to their family, and they tell me it’s because they trust that when they send their friends and family, they’re going to get the best advice,” he said. Herc’s Nutrition Address: #50—214 Stonebridge Boulevard Phone: 306-668-4372 Web: Hercs.com Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. If you have started, expanded or moved a small business in Saskatoon within the last few months, contact Alex MacPherson at 306-657-6210 or amacpherson@postmedia.com. Home-based and temporary businesses, as well as those without physical locations, will not be considered for publication.