Business Spotlight with Rob Worth of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sport Medicine

Mike McKay
December 27, 2024

YouTube player

In another inspiring episode of Success Chronicles, Mike McKay connects with Dr. Rob Worth, founder of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. Rob shares his journey from a 16-year-old unsure about his career to the successful business owner he is today. His decision to pursue physical therapy was driven by a desire to work in healthcare, help others, and make a positive difference. After gaining experience in the field, he and his wife decided to open their own practice in 1998, which has since grown to include 29 clinics and 60 on-site clinics at companies. Rob attributes much of their growth to a strong company culture, a commitment to high-quality care, and a focus on word-of-mouth referrals.

Rob emphasizes that the key to their success has been a balance of integrity, humility, and a focus on taking care of the community. While many entrepreneurs push for rapid growth, Rob’s business has grown organically, driven by external demand rather than internal pressure. He reflects on the importance of building a supportive team and shares how his partner Tracy Rasor’s contributions continue to influence the company’s culture after her passing. Looking to the future, Rob is excited about the expansion of Advanced Industrial Medicine and Advanced Tactical Medicine, divisions that provide on-site injury prevention and care to businesses and first responders, helping to reduce costs and improve health outcomes.

 

Podcast Transcript:

Mike McKay: Welcome back to Success Chronicles. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Rob Worth, the owner and founder of Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, established in 1998. Rob is one of those exceptional individuals who has kept a business thriving for over 25 years. His education includes La Crosse, St. Augustine, and Harvard, along with a residency at Mass General to complete his PT doctorate. Welcome, Rob!

Rob Worth: Thank you, Mike! It’s an honor to be here. I’ve listened to several episodes, and I’m excited to join such a great lineup of guests.

Mike: I’m excited to have you here. Earlier, you mentioned something about the journey from 16-year-old Rob Worth to where you are today. I’d love to hear more about that.

Rob: Sure, happy to share. As we discussed before going live, we all have unique journeys, and it’s interesting to look back and see where we started, where we ended up, and, most importantly, what happened along the way. When I was 16, I didn’t have my career path figured out, and I felt like I needed to get moving. 

So, I made a list of what I wanted in a career: First, I knew I wanted to work in healthcare. Second, I wanted to be involved in the wellness side of healthcare. And third, most importantly, I wanted to look back at my career and know that I had made a positive difference in many people’s lives. With those criteria in mind, I started researching, and physical therapy seemed like a great fit. I reached out to the local hospital (this was before job shadowing was a thing) and asked if I could spend an hour in their physical therapy department before school. I did that several times a week for a month, and by the end of it, I knew this was the right path. I went to PT school and never looked back. Fast forward, I graduated from UW-La Crosse, worked for a healthcare system for a couple of years, and managed a clinic for a national PT company. 

Then, 26 years ago, my wife and I had our first child, and things started to change. At three weeks old, our son was in the backseat of the car while we drove to Florida for a manual therapy residency. The day before we left, an orthopedic surgeon I had worked with asked if I’d ever considered opening my own physical therapy and sports medicine business. I hadn’t, but I thought about it during the 22-hour drive with my wife. We discussed it for the whole drive, and after that, we decided to give it a go. The best news is the business has been successful, and more importantly, my wife and I are still happily married after 31 years. Our son is now 26, and the business has grown beyond what we expected. It’s been a wonderful journey, and we feel very fortunate.

Mike: Starting a business with a three-week-old baby in the car—talk about taking risks! But it worked out. What a story.

Rob: Yes, it was definitely a leap of faith, but I have to give my wife credit for her confidence and support.

Mike: You were focused from a young age—making a decision at 16 and sticking with it for your entire career. That’s pretty unique! Not many people are so clear on their path.

Rob: Honestly, Mike, I still feel like I have the best job in the world. Every morning, I’m excited to go to work. I was talking to a colleague recently, and he said that his workdays are about 50% fun and 50% not-so-fun. For me, 99% of my day is just pure fun.

Mike: That’s amazing! Tell us more about Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. Do you have a target market or specialties? How has the business evolved?

Rob: Sure, to continue the story, when I decided to open the business, I realized that I’d eventually need some time off. So, I called a colleague, Tracy Rasor, and asked if she’d be interested in covering for me during vacations. We talked for a few minutes, and before I knew it, she agreed to become a part-time partner in the business. So, after that quick conversation, we launched Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine together, with Tracy, a physical therapist and licensed athletic trainer, and an office assistant. We started with 900 square feet, and our vision was simple: do great work and take care of our patients. 

Over the next 26 years, we’ve been truly blessed. If you’d told me back then that we’d grow to 29 clinics and 60 on-site clinics at companies, I wouldn’t have believed it. Our team has grown from three to 173 people. While we’ve had some incredible growth, we’ve also turned down many opportunities to maintain control and focus on providing high-quality care. Our philosophy has been to grow at a manageable pace, and that’s worked well for us.

Mike: That’s fascinating. A lot of entrepreneurs hesitate to grow because they fear letting go or hiring people who might be just as good as they are. But you’ve embraced it. How did you navigate that? Most people push back against growth because it challenges their sense of self-identity. But you don’t seem to have that hesitation.

Rob: Thank you, Mike. That’s a great question. From my perspective, I’d say the key difference between push and pull is that I’ve seen many companies focus heavily on growth and financial success. In our case, though, we believe that if you do the right thing—by taking care of the community and striving to be the best version of yourself, both as an individual and as a company—financial success and growth follow naturally. As I mentioned, we love the culture we’ve built within our business. We didn’t want to lose that family atmosphere, so I’d say we’ve been pulled into growth rather than actively pushing for it. We’ve had communities, industries, and businesses approach us, saying they’ve heard good things and would love us to serve their communities. Word of mouth has been a huge driver of our growth. 

To answer your second question about letting go, I hope at least half of the people on our team are smarter than I am! If everything relied on me, we’d be in trouble. The key is to do what you do well and surround yourself with people who excel in other areas. When we started the business, it was just me and my colleague Tracy Rasor. What I brought to the table was a mix of business and clinical expertise, along with a lot of drive—maybe too much. Tracy, on the other hand, brought exceptional people skills, a focus on the importance of soft skills, and a reminder to have fun and not take ourselves too seriously. Tracy passed away from cancer about 11 years ago, but she remains in our hearts, and I think she’d be proud of where we are today and what we continue to do for our communities.

Mike: We’ve gone a bit off track, but you mentioned one of my favorite words—culture. One thing we’ve learned is that the only true competitive advantage is the people who work for you. So, how would you describe your company’s culture? How intentional is it? And how do you maintain it? We’re currently working with a big client who struggles with their culture—they have a high turnover because the leadership just doesn’t get it. How did you create your culture, and how much effort does it take to keep it intact?

Rob: I can answer all of those, Mike. At the risk of sounding trite, I’d say it doesn’t feel like a lot of work because when you have people with integrity, humility, and consistency, it naturally aligns with the culture. We’ve always believed in doing the right thing and working with the right people, and good things follow. This philosophy has been our guiding light. I’ll share a funny story. I’m part of a group called Vistage—are you familiar with it, Mike?

Mike: Yes, we’ve had clients involved with Vistage.

Rob: So, a few years ago, the Vistage group invited a speaker, and the big focus was on culture. Everyone was trying to write down culture playbooks and programs. We’d been working on this for about four or five months when my group members teased me a bit. They said, “Rob, your company has one of the best cultures in our group, but you’ve done the worst job of writing it down.” I think it’s because I’ve always felt that if you live it, you shouldn’t need to write it down. 

One of my pet peeves is seeing companies with a framed list of values—like “integrity,” “taking care of people,” and so on—yet nothing in the company reflects those values. We didn’t want to be that company. So, we focused on living those values instead. Eventually, though, we were convinced that it was important to write things down, to help speed up the learning curve for new team members and ensure they understand our culture from day one. Writing it down also helped others get a sense of who we are more quickly.

Mike: I agree. We’ve gone through a lot of culture work, and I’ve found that leadership is about making sure you’re always doing the “most right thing” in any given situation. Your role as a leader is to ask, “Is this the most right thing to do here?” It’s not about doing half your job or cutting corners. You’ve boiled business down to its essence: hire smart people, take great care of them, and serve the community well. All the other complexities are unnecessary. You’ve really cut through the noise with that approach, and it’s refreshing to hear. Now, can you tell us about someone who inspired you and what your biggest lesson was from them?

Rob: Sure. I’ve been fortunate to have many people inspire me. If I had to pick a few, I’d say my wife and children have been a huge source of inspiration. They’ve supported me endlessly—especially my wife, who’s been incredibly patient and tolerant. 

I also have a great group of practice partners—15 in total—who have been a huge inspiration over the years. It’s amazing to work with such a talented and driven team. We just returned from our annual strategic planning meeting, where we spent two days on a lake, discussing strategy and vision. That team of practice partners constantly inspires me. 

Lastly, I’m also part of a wonderful community of physical therapy business owners, both at the state and national levels. There are six CEOs I can call any time, and they’d be there to help me, just as I would for them. I’m also on the National Board of Directors for physical therapy business owners, and this group offers tremendous support and resources. So, in summary, the people who inspire me fall into three categories: my family, my practice partners, and my peers in the physical therapy business community.

Mike: Yeah, it’s pretty unique. You’d think the world would be full of abundance, and in some parts, it is, but in many industries, people believe that someone else’s success takes away from theirs. So to hear that you have so many people to call on, that’s really special. What would you say is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your journey so far?

Rob: Well, I’ll get personal here and share something not many people know. When I was in PT school, I had one goal from the age of 16: to become the best physical therapist I could be. Fast forward, I was about a year and a half away from graduating. I had a part-time job as a counselor at a group home for the developmentally disabled. The head counselor stepped away, and I felt it was my responsibility to lead the group home, all while taking my grueling classes. However, I ended up getting a D on a test, which you’re not allowed to do in the program. So, here I was, about to graduate, but I got kicked out of PT school. I didn’t know where to go or what to do next. But I wasn’t going to give up. 

I figured out a way to get back in and found a great mentor in Gwyn Straker. She told me, “Hang in there, you’ll get through this.” I eventually graduated, and years later, they created a Distinguished Alumni Award. I was chosen as the keynote speaker for that first ceremony, despite having been kicked out of the program 18 years earlier. It was a nice full-circle moment.

Mike: Congratulations!

Rob: I went deep on you, Mike.

Mike: That’s what grit and determination are all about. It’s at the core of so many great accomplishments. Thank you for sharing such an amazing story. So, what’s the next big thing for Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine over the next 1-3 years?

Rob: Looking ahead, we’re grateful for the growth we’ve seen at Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. The biggest opportunities include continuing to serve the communities through our 29 clinics in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. But even more exciting are our fastest-growing divisions: Advanced Industrial Medicine and Advanced Tactical Medicine.

Advanced Industrial Medicine provides on-site injury prevention and care to nearly 60 companies, mostly in Wisconsin but also in states like Florida, Utah, North Carolina, Illinois, and Iowa. This division helps reduce work-related injuries, and employers are seeing significant cost savings.

Then there’s Advanced Tactical Medicine, which serves police and fire departments with on-site injury prevention and care. Instead of going to the ER or urgent care, we have providers on-site who can treat injuries and prevent them from becoming serious. We’ve seen fantastic results, including a nine-to-one ROI for many of the companies we work with. In fact, after a recent end-of-year analysis, one company’s CFO told us, “You saved us $1.6 million in healthcare costs.”

Mike: That’s amazing! I’ve heard of industrial medicine—when I worked in factories, we had the beginnings of it, but I hadn’t heard of the tactical side. That’s really cool!

Rob: We’re fortunate to have a leader in this field, who heads both the Advanced Industrial and Tactical Medicine divisions. She’s spoken nationally and internationally and developed protocols that are leading the way in this space. We truly believe we have one of the best teams in the country. 

Mike: That is cool. One final question that wasn’t on the list of questions I sent: Is there something you wish I’d asked, but didn’t?

Rob: First of all, Mike, you’ve done a great job with the conversation. I’m glad we threw away the scripted questions. I hope people listening can relate to some of what we talked about. We discussed mentors, and I think one of the keys to success—whether in business or in life—is surrounding yourself with people who can help you reach your goals. But just as importantly, once you reach a certain point in your career, it’s time to give back. I’m at that stage now, where I’ve been in business for 26 years, and people are reaching out to me, asking for advice or mentorship. It’s rewarding to be able to pay it forward to the next generation. So, I’d say: look for people who will help bring you up, and once you’re there, help others along the way too.

Mike: That’s brilliant. Alright, if you’re listening, here are a couple of key takeaways: 1) Happiness isn’t going to cause your business to go bankrupt, and 2) Culture really is driven by leadership. Also, the concept of doing the “most right thing” is a big win, no matter the industry. Rob, thank you for sharing your story with us today. It’s been great having you on.

Rob: I really enjoyed the conversation, Mike. Have a great day!