North Idaho Physical Therapy buys Kellogg clinic
The staff at North Idaho Physical Therapy in Kellogg. Pictured from the left are Rusty Wood PT, Cara Cox PTA, Kirsten Viche, Amy Fendrick, Cory Lewis PT, Kelli Kenser PT, and Audra Zisk. Not pictured is Sylvanna Corthen, PTA.
Courtesy photo
KELLOGG –– There’s a new name on a longstanding business that’s being operated by some familiar faces.
Justin Kane and Cory Lewis took over the operation of Kellogg Physical Therapy earlier this year and have brought it under Kane’s North Idaho Physical Therapy, BioPerformance Institute umbrella.
Previously owned and operated by A.J. Werner and Scott Hall for the past 25 years, NIPT’s newest location aims to offer the same quality care patients have grown accustomed to, with the hopes of being able to add more services to their list of therapies.
According to Lewis, Werner approached him last year about potentially buying the clinic, but he was unsure if it was something he wanted to do on his own.
“I called my friend, Justin, and said, ‘Why don’t you buy it, and I’ll operate it for you?” Lewis said. “He said, ‘No, we’re going to buy it together.”
The official takeover happened on January 2, and NIPT has been serving the Silver Valley community ever since.
Lewis, a physical therapist with 20 years of experience, has been working in various PT clinics throughout the region and has made it his goal to make the clinic a resource for the community.
“We hope to be able to provide more services and modernize things a bit so that our patients can have the same quality of service locally that you’d get if you were going over the hill,” Lewis said.
As part of the takeover, NIPT retained all of the former employees of Kellogg Physical Therapy and has a full staff that includes veteran therapist Rusty Wood.
“We heard the rumors. He isn’t retiring, Rusty isn’t going anywhere,” Lewis said with a chuckle.
Most people will know Lewis from the past 13 years working at Shoshone Medical Center’s Wellness Clinic in Smelterville, where he built a following of clients of all ages, including several athletes from the local school districts.
“We want to be in the schools, working with these athletes and building that trust where they know they can come in and ask us to take a look at something for them if they have a concern,” Lewis said.
Kane, who has his own ties to the Silver Valley medical world, is thrilled to be partnering with Lewis.
“NIPT has been caring for the residents of North Idaho since 1968, and we are honored to continue the legacy of Kellogg Physical Therapy,” Kane said. “I have known the previous owners, AJ Werner and Scott Hall for decades, and worked in Kellogg in 1994-95 at Shoshone Living Center (now Mountain Valley of Cascadia). Cory and I have been friends for 20-plus years. Rusty Wood has been a mainstay in the Silver Valley for a long time as well. More than anything, we’re super thankful we are part of the community with this physical therapy dream team.”
It’s Lewis’ first foray into business ownership, but he’s motivated by having a longstanding partner and a willingness to honor the legacy of the clinic’s forebearers.
“It’s really exciting, but I'll admit I was terrified at first,” Lewis said. “We wanted to honor A.J and the work she did for 25 years and I’m excited that I get the opportunity to do that.”
The Kellogg office of North Idaho Physical Therapy’s BioPerformance Institute is located at 740 McKinley Ave, and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They can be reached (208) 783-3015.