Published on April 15, 2014

I recently had the honor of presenting the Riverton Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award to Jeff and Michelle McMenamy and their team at Teton Therapy PC. Teton Therapy provides physical and occupational therapy services to residents of Fremont County, WY.

Over the years, Jeff has walked the journey from working “in” his business to working “on” his business. The reward: a high performing team committed to their patients and the success of the business.

I first met Jeff in 2008 when he attended one of my business seminars where I asked one of my favorite powerful questions:

Assuming you have all the courage you need, what action could you take that would have the greatest impact on your life?

Up to that point, Jeff had been hemming and hawing about moving to a newer, bigger facility. He knew they needed the room to expand and grow, but buying a new building is a huge, scary risk considering the level of investment. When I asked that powerful question, Jeff immediately knew his answer. The next day, he placed a bid on the building for their Main Street Location.

Their business has continued to grow since then. Currently, they have 2 locations, averaging 311 patient visits per week. Teton Therapy employs 17 people and has recruited 8 staff from outside the area in the past few years. They currently have 3 doctoral level therapists on staff.

Behind every rural business success story, there are challenges, struggles, and sleepless nights. Those who choose to persist and thrive are rewarded with lots of personal growth along the way. Jeff and his team are no different. Jeff has shown commitment to improving his leadership of the business, with a determined effort to work ON the business so that it continues to grow, providing opportunities for his employee to grow.

Challenges Piling On

In December 2013, the challenges began piling on Teton Therapy. They lost key staff members, were in the midst of a lawsuit, and were transitioning to a new medical records system. Their volume had declined with the number of patient visits dropping significantly.

Jeff went to his Executive Team and asked them, “What goals do you think are possible, given our present circumstances?” They replied: “I think we can get right back to where we were—averaging 300 patient visits per week” Jeff said, “Okay, what time frame do you think we can do that in?,” expecting they might say 6 months or longer. They actually responded with: “We’ll do it by the end of the first quarter in 2014!”

Surprised, Jeff quickly threw his support behind their determination. If they hit that goal, he would send all of the employees out on the town with cash in their pockets for a local shopping spree.

Not only did they hit their goal, they hit it 1 month early—at the end of February. Jeff rewarded each employee with $200 and sent them on a shopping spree during work hours. There were only a few rules:

• Money had to be spent in their local communities.
• Each employee had to spend the money on herself.
• All of the money had to be spent within 2 hours. What was left over was turned back in.

How fun!! I happened to drop in that afternoon after the shopping spree. Spirits were high with the excitement over not only hitting such a high goal in a short period of time, but also being recognized as Business of the Year.

Congratulations Jeff and Mic!

You have built a team in which to be proud!

Jeff’s journey to becoming a recognized industry leader, not just locally, but also nationally among his colleagues, epitomizes true business leadership.