My Biz: Physical therapist constantly strives to improve

CEDAR RAPIDS - Ted Kepros has been working as a physical therapist for more than 20 years, and has dreamed of having his own practice for nearly that long.

In September of last year, that dream came true when he opened Kepros Physical Therapy in the Kingston Village neighborhood.

The office offers a number of physical therapy services, and helps people recover from injuries, pain or surgeries. The office also offers prevention education and strength training services to help individuals avoid further injuries and pain.

'Some people think our office is all geared toward helping athlete,” Kepros said. 'But we have a lot of people who come in for maintenance care. And we really try to cater to all of our patients' needs.”

Kepros said he and his team see a wide variety of patients on any given day - ranging from pregnant women to infants and children all the way up to our patients in their 90s.

'We call it our KPT family,” Kepros says. 'We look at the entire person. Our mission is becoming better together. Each of us, each day can make one step to being better. And this is not only about making our patients better. It's also about getting better at what we do.”

Kepros noted he and his team - many of whom have advanced certifications - value continuing education and spend a few hours each week reviewing cases or talking about complicated issues.

When Kepros Physical Therapy opened, there were just two employees. Kepros now has 10 full-time employees and plans to hire additional staff in the next year. He recently opened a satellite office in Marion, which already is growing beyond Kepros' expectations.

He said his practice focuses on three pillars: offering the best quality product that money and technology can provide; strong relationships with people; and being fiscally responsible.

On Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, he gets into the office about 5:30 a.m. and sometimes see patients as early as 5:45 a.m.

'I also use this time to read journals and go over financials. And I send out a Monday Mantra to my staff, something for them to think about for the week,” he said.

Kepros then spends the rest of the day - until about 5 p.m. - seeing patients. He heads home for family time - Kepros and his wife, Sara, have four children - before picking work back up around 9 p.m. until about midnight. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kepros sees his kids off to school, gets in two or three meetings in the morning, then sees patients in the afternoon - sometimes as late as 8 p.m. - or drives to Iowa City or Ames, where he has teaching projects.

After going to school at Loras College, the University of Iowa and St. Augustine University in Florida, Kepros - who turned down job offers in other parts of the country - came back to work in his hometown of Cedar Rapids. He said he is especially proud to be growing a business in this community.

'I seriously wake up every day feeling blessed and humbled by this. That's a mainstay of my philosophy, humble leadership,” he said.

' Know a company in business for more than a year that would make an ideal My Biz? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com

AT A GLANCE

' Name: Ted Kepros

' Title: President and Physical Therapist

' Company: Kepros Physical Therapy

' Address: 101 Third Ave. SW, Suite 102, Cedar Rapids

' Phone: (319) 200-6102

' Website: http://www.keprospt.com/