Editor's note: This article is a sponsored partnership.
Blue Valley Physical Therapy is owned and operated by Ryan Klusman and Ann Cooper. Each owner was raised by hardworking families, headed by fathers who ran their own businesses. They knew the benefits and the risks that come with owning your own business, and the freedom that comes from being your own boss. They also both had a strong passion for rehabilitation and physical therapy.
In 1996, Ann started Blue Valley Physical Therapy with the goal of providing scientifically based treatments while at the same time providing a top-notch patient care experience. In 2001, Ryan was hired and within 5 years became a partner to assist and boost these goals. Ann has an additional two years of education post graduating Physical Therapy school, focusing precisely on how to rehabilitate injury in the outpatient environment. This commitment to patient care was the foundation that they built the company on. Over the years, they continued to build their team, adding top-notch therapists with the same vision mind; let’s get people better as fast a possible and have a blast doing it.
Both owners have some sage advice from their 20 years in business: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Even while being some of the most trained staff in Kansas City, they focus on their patients with determination and kindness.
Just like rehabilitation itself, Ryan and Ann have pushed through their hardships of their business, and have come out of the other side stronger. Kansas City benefits from individuals and clinics that are always striving to be better, putting patient’s outcomes as the top priority. Blue Valley Physical Therapy is one such place.
Then came the growing pains. Ryan and Ann soon learned that getting someone’s injuries better was one thing, and running a successful business was another. By 2012, they had come to the realization that while they had more customers than ever, they were making less and less money year over year; they needed help. They hired a consultant who changed the game for them, helping them restart their practice and grow successfully. This year they had the good fortune to have been named the 2020 Small Business of the Year for Johnson County by the Kansas Small Business Association.