Success Story: DrLees.com

Ryan Lees is not afraid of change. This Airdrie, Alberta- based chiropractor is known for continually evolving his approach to patient care.

Just as technology continues to progress, Dr. Lees continues to search for and refine his approach to caring for the people who entrust their health to his expertise. Over the years he has utilized many different approaches for adjusting the human spine to restore optimum spinal and nerve system function.

Even when evaluating patient's spines, he uses a variety of methods including:

• X-rays
• Computer based thermal
• SEMG (surface electromyography)

When you walk in the door at Lees Chiropractic, you immediately notice something different. The adjusting area is open, with guests seated around a central area with three chiropractic adjusting tables. In effect, you're seeing Dr. Lees "in the round" - a fitting description since his adjustments can be likened to performance art. He minimizes any anxiety by lightheartedly joking and telling stories, even playing guitar on rare occasions. "The open adjusting area has helped create a relaxing sense of community among our clientele," says Lees.

When the time came to develop a web site, we approached each other at the exact same time! Linda McCartney, the office manager, asked us if we'd be interested in creating a web site for them. In response, she was handed a diskette with a prototype site for their review. They were pleased with the design and asked for a few additions and decided (in the interest of simplicity) to forego multimedia and a password-protected area for patients to log into and see details of their own care plans. However, they understood the need to provide dynamic content in order to increase their rankings in the search engines, and agreed to publish a weekly newsletter.

And the guests love it. Some have even come to rely upon their Monday newsletter. Says Lees: "The online newsletter has certainly increased traffic to our web site and people appreciate the opportunity to keep up to date online."

Now in its second year, drlees.com is scheduled for a few surprises. They've started to explore online directory listings and other low-cost internet marketing methods. A health class, mandatory for new guests, may soon find its way to the site in an interactive format, making it easier than ever to learn, among other topics, why your neck is like a banana. The hope is to raise awareness of the unique service offered at Lees Chiropractic while putting potential clients at ease with what many may view with some apprehension.

But the entrepreneurial Dr. Lees is confident that people will continue to seek his practice style as he effectively communicates its benefits. As he puts it, "Mediocrity is easy, anybody can do it, achieving excellence, however, require having vision and taking risks."

Lees Chiropractic is located at 214 Main Street N. in Airdrie, Alberta, T4B 2B8. The telephone number is (403) 948-4440. Visit www.drlees.com for hours.