National Seating & Mobility’s (NSM) list of locations across the country continues to grow, with another acquisition and an expansion and reorganization of its Chicago-area offices.
In an April 10 news announcement, NSM said it had opened a new Chicago office, and that it would merge its three existing Chicago-area locations with the newly created branch.
Chicago Consolidation
Bill Mixon, NSM’s CEO, said of the provider’s moves in Illinois, “Merging the three existing Chicago area branches within our new location enables us to enhance the services provided for our clients in the area. The larger location allows our Chicago team to combine resources, increase evaluations and streamline routing and service scheduling so we can serve our clients better and faster.”
The three existing NSM branches impacted are the Broadview, Bridgeview and Lombard, Ill., offices. The new branch is located at 5444 East Avenue, Countryside, Ill.
Ken Keim, who has more than 20 years’ experience in seating and wheeled mobility, has been named general manager of the new location. Twelve ATPs and 23 staff members — including technicians, funding specialists and customer service representatives — have moved into the new branch office.
An NSM spokesperson said there would be “some territory refinement” as a result of the merger of the branches, but didn’t anticipate any disruption of operations: “The core business each ATP has been doing will remain. The Chicago teams have worked together in many clinics over the past several years and all know each other very well.”
With these latest moves, the Chicago office becomes the provider’s second largest in the United States. Only NSM’s Newington, Conn., location has a larger staff.
NSM indicated that it expects the Chicago office’s service and repairs process to gain from the merger: “We will be able to more effectively and efficiently serve our clients, capitalizing on the unique and diverse skills of our technician team.”
Michigan Acquisition
Three days after the Chicago announcement, NSM announced it had acquired Reflection Medical, located in Temperance, Mich.
“Adding this location allows us to strengthen our service offerings to our healthcare partners and clients throughout Ohio and Michigan,” Mixon noted. “Reflection Medical’s reputation for customer service and client care make them a great cultural fit for us. We are proud to welcome this experienced group to the NSM family.”
Rick Liley, ATP, will remain as the office’s branch manager. An additional ATP and two RTS’s will also continue to work out of the office, which is located at 3200 W. Temperance Road. Cindy Liley will be the office administrator and will manage the branch’s operations, supported by a funding specialist and a customer service representative.
Cindy Liley said of the new agreement, “We are excited to offer our community of clients the industry-leading resources NSM can provide. We are honored to be a part of a company who is committed to be a trusted partner, impacting the lives of clients served every day. We look forward to being a part of the future of NSM.”
NSM has four other offices in Ohio, in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Youngstown. NSM also operates four additional offices in Michigan (Detroit, Flint, Freeland and Lansing). The company continues to rapidly expand through acquisitions of existing complex rehab providers and through opening new locations on its own.
NSM announced a comprehensive rebranding, complete with a new logo and supporting Web site, earlier this year and held its annual Symposium in March in Orlando, Fla.