From the San Antonio Business Journal: The Joint Corp. is expanding to San Antonio

From the San Antonio Business Journal: bizjournals.com/sanantonio by W. Scott Bailey

The Joint Corp., a national franchisor of chiropractic clinics, has tapped a pair of Houston business people, Anne and David Glover, to serve as a regional developer for the company in Texas, including the San Antonio market..

They plan to help The Joint secure franchisees for 58 new chiropractic clinics in Texas - with plans for eight in the Alamo City.

"We would hope to have the first clinics in San Antonio open by the third or fourth quarter of this year," says David Glover.

As of May 23, The Joint Corp. had agreements with 49 franchisees and 22 clinics in operation. But the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company says over the next 10 years it plans to expand to more than 1,200 locations nationally as part of an effort to "reshape" the chiropractic industry. And The Joint expects that San Antonio will be an important part of that reshaping process.

The Joint clinics won't take insurance or make appointments.

Instead, they will provide walk-in service to clients who can set up low-cost memberships and receive multiple adjustments.

"We're not catering to people who need acute care," David Glover explains, adding that the planned expansion will "provide homes for more licensed chiropractors."

New benchmark

The Joint Corp. was founded in 1999 by Dr. Fred Gerretzen.

The Joint clinics offer what they characterize as a new philosophy of chiropractic care that allow clients to utilize chiropractic treatment as an integral part of their health and wellness program.

The Joint currently has clinics in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.

Last July, Global Industry Analysts Inc., a San Jose-based firm, released a report on chiropractic care in the U.S. According to that GIA report, the U.S. chiropractic care industry was projected to reach $12.53 billion by 2015.

It's about a $10 billion industry now, according to John Leonesio, CEO of The Joint Corp. Some of the leading factors that are driving the growth of the industry, according to GIA officials, are "changing attitudes towards alternative practices" and increased therapy-related research. "This is a good time to get into this industry. And this industry will grow as The Joint grows," says Anne Glover. "Making the benefits of quality chiropractic care both extremely affordable and convenient to the millions of American's who need it can't happen fast enough," Leonesio insists.

"Our standardized model clinic is ideal for brand awareness and rapid growth through franchising," he adds. "We believe (that model) will set a new benchmark in the industry for clients and for chiropractors who will both benefit from its ability to deliver the highest standard of care simply and inexpensively."