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| Gov. Branstad notes Dupaco's contribution to award-winning local business |
| Posted: | February 13, 2012 |
| Details: | During a visit Friday to an award-winning Dubuque business, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad noted Dupaco Community Credit Union's role in helping the small business grow and create jobs in the state.
Gina Blean and Kelly Heysinger, co-owners of Unified Therapy Services, met with Branstad and provided a tour of their business—a pediatric-focused outpatient therapy clinic. Blean and Heysinger were named the 2011 Iowa Small Business Persons of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Unified Therapy Services launched in 2006 and has grown with the help of Dupaco's business lending team.
"I'm happy to see Iowa businesses grow, prosper and create jobs, with help from the Small Business Administration and Dupaco," said Branstad during his tour of the clinic.
Dupaco representatives Bob Hoefer, president and CEO; Joe Hearn, chief operating officer; Rick Dusil, business lending vice president; and David Klavitter, marketing senior vice president participated in the Branstad event.
The clinic provides physical, occupational, and speech language therapy services. Through a variety of unique programs, Unified Therapy Services helps children dealing with everything from a sprained ankle or trouble pronouncing the "s" sound, to a diagnosis of autism or Down syndrome.
In its five short years of operation, the therapy clinic has grown more than its owners could have predicted. The business started with just three employees, and today boasts a staff of 26.
In the beginning, the clinic was in a leased 4,000-square-foot space. But it wasn't long before Blean and Heysinger were purchasing a facility more than double that size. "And now we're outgrowing this," said Blean.
Branstad talked with employees of Unified Therapy Services upon arriving and also visited with patients.
"They're a real asset in the Dubuque community," Branstad said. "We need to encourage more people like you to take a risk and create a business like this." |
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