MEMBER HGHLIGHT
Westward Heights Care Center, continued The mission of Westward Heights is to provide “Dignity in Life,” as they believe every person we work with and serve should be treated as the most important person in your life. Their team is comprised of 110 members who work diligently to provide a great living environment, quality care, quality of life, and a family serving family environment. Westward Heights is a non-profit nursing home opened in 1979 to provide long term care to Fremont County. A group of interested citizens started working toward this in 1972, and our community has benefited ever since. Today Westward Heights is owned by the Westward Height Board of Directors (Bob Nagy, President; Lauren Hubble, Vice President; Dean McKee, Treasurer; Lucy Cone, Secretary; Betty Baker, Amy Smith, Jeff Kimber, and Becky Packer) and managed by Vetter Health Services. Many CEOs like to say how hands-on they are with their company, but for Jeff McMenamy of Teton Therapy, “hands-on” is more than a saying. As a Certified Occupational Therapist, Jeff regularly sees and develops treatment plans for patients in addition to his duties as CEO. It’s a practice that began 20 years ago and has become a cornerstone of the Lander community. Humble Beginnings The best success stories start with humble beginnings, and Teton Therapy is no exception. Started in 2001 in a renovated garage in Riverton, the company has grown to about 40 employees spread across three clinics statewide. “I started Teton Therapy because the large corporation I had been working for [as an Occupational Therapist] just wasn’t responsive to the needs of the patients I was treating,” McMenamy says. “I wanted to provide both physical and occupational therapy services to our patients, and no clinics were offering those practices together.” Along with the Riverton clinic, Teton Therapy in Cheyenne has been meeting the community’s needs for six years, and Lander’s clinic will celebrate 10 years in business this December. During this time, Teton Therapy has followed through on its commitment to the communities it serves. The company has been a long-term sponsor of everything from the Paws for Life animal shelter to the athletic booster clubs for Central Wyoming College, and Lander and Riverton schools. Riverton Ice Hockey Association has been another beneficiary of Teton Therapy’s philanthropy, following 20 years of McMenamy family coaching and participation in the league.
Focus on Family In addition to focusing on the community, a focus on family has strengthened Teton Therapy’s practice through the years. Jeff’s wife Michelle serves as Finance Manager of the company, with son Ian in the role of Administrative Communicator. Continuing in the proud tradition of McMenamys in physical therapy, Jeff and Michelle’s youngest son Sam is studying Physical Therapy at the University of North Dakota, and oldest daughter Taylor is a practicing Physical Therapist Assistant in Minnesota. But Teton Therapy employees needn’t have the McMenamy surname to feel like family. According to Teton Therapy Riverton Occupational Therapist Zac Schaller, “after meeting Jeff [and] all the therapists and staff, I discovered how family-based the company is,” The family atmosphere has led to long-term staff satisfaction, with three employees celebrating their 10-year anniversaries with the company this past September alone. Future Success Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, building on the successes of the past two decades might have seemed simple for McMenamy and his employees at Teton Therapy. But with careful attention to future potential growth, the business looks to thrive because of - not merely despite - adversity in current events. Teton Therapy was the very first therapy clinic in Wyoming to train therapists in the use of Diagnostic Ultrasounds, Nerve Conduction Studies, and Electromyograms. As a result, patients didn’t have to make a separate trip to get these exams performed by referring doctors’ offices. This speeds the feedback used in the course of treatment by Teton Therapy’s physical and occupational therapists. “Being able to do comprehensive, in-house testing has been beneficial for our patients and referring doctors because it allows us to uncover underlying problems that may
