Thirty years ago, Steve and Michelle Cassabaum were looking for a place to call “home,” not only for their growing family, but also for the physical therapy business they were starting.
Nevada, Iowa not only fit their vision in terms of the size of community they wanted to be in, but also with what it offered for education and faith. “We wanted our kids to go to a small school, but one big enough for them to have opportunities … and the St. Patrick’s church community was important to us,” Michelle noted.
Looking back, the couple said they made the right decision by coming to Nevada. And, not only have the Cassabaums benefited greatly from what Nevada offered to them — the community has benefited greatly from the Cassabaums’ business, 21st Century Rehab, and from the level of involvement the couple has had here. The Cassabaums have been part of many community achievements, such as the new hospital and long-term care facility, SCORE, and the new Nevada Field House.
Serving on the boards of various organizations like the former chamber, the NEDC, the Story Medical Foundation and the Nevada Foundation, the Cassabaums have continuously pushed for Nevada to grow and to have some of the finest quality-of-life amenities a town this size can offer.
“Nevada is our home, and a community is like your family,” Michelle explained of why they’ve been so involved. “When you love something as we’ve loved Nevada, you want to give back to it.” Steve credits both his parents and Michelle’s parents, business people who were active in their own Iowa communities, for setting a good example of what “giving back” looks like.
Married in 1991, Steve had been working in the St. Louis area after finishing physical therapy school at Washington University. He was an independent contractor for two dental offices, doing specialized therapy for head, neck and jaw pain. Michelle, with a degree in pharmacy, had been working as a pharmacist when the two, who became parents for the first time in 1994, decided to move back to Iowa to be closer to family, and to start 21st Century Rehab.
Wanting to be in business together, Michelle headed back to school, getting another degree, this time in health care administration from Des Moines University. “Then we could be partners, with me on the administrative side and him on the physical therapy side,” Michelle said.
The partnership has worked well. Over the past 30 years, 21st Century Rehab has grown from starting with Steve and two other employees in the basement of the old Story County Hospital building to having a beautiful space in the new Story Medical Center and to operating clinics in 13 other Iowa communities, and employing around 125 employees, 18 of them in Nevada.
Steve smiles thinking back to those early days in the hospital basement with the very low ceilings. “I was used to wearing a button-down shirt and tie in St. Louis. That lasted about three days in Nevada, because it was so hot in that basement,” he said.
He had contracted with Story Medical to provide physical therapy, and as he grew his business into the basement hallways, Story Medical grew — first on the west side of its older building — to accommodate 21st Century’s growing clientele and staff.
In half of its locations in Iowa, 21st Century Rehab still contracts with a local hospital. In the other half, it has stand-alone clinics. Both scenarios work well, thanks to the incredible team they’ve established — a team that includes several business partners and their three daughters.
Emma, who attended Luther and has a master’s from George Washington University, is Director of Patient Experience. “She has taken the responsibility to manage all of the non-licensed support staff off of my plate,” Michelle said.
Elli, who graduated from Iowa State University, is the business Public Relations and Marketing Director.
Kati, a physical therapist like her father with degrees from UNI and Des Moines University’s PT school, is practicing at the Cassabaum’s clinic in Altoona. Steve and Michelle are excited to share that Kati will, in the near future, become a sixth partner in the business.
Steve is still seeing patients a few days a week. He’s been practicing physical therapy for 36 years. “I would like to get to 40,” he remarked. He also spends a lot of time mentoring the younger PTs in the company.
Michelle makes it clear, she and her husband are not ready to retire yet.
The Cassabaums will celebrate their 30th anniversary in business, which started 30 years ago this month to be exact, with a special event for their employees in August. “We may do something to celebrate with the community too,” Michelle said.
When asked about their thoughts on celebrating 30 years, Steve gets emotional and has trouble getting the words out at first. “I think about the great people we’ve helped and served, like Gene Newsome (recently deceased). That’s the most rewarding for me. And then I think about our employees, who are like family.”
Michelle said she tries to embrace every moment of the journey and celebrate the growth. “I think of exponentially the amount of people we’ve been able to touch by replicating the success we’ve had in Nevada in 13 other communities. That’s very rewarding.”
The two also share insight on why they’ve been able to work this well together. “The biggest thing … we have complete trust in one another, and that has allowed us to focus on our unique talents that we each bring to the table,” Michelle said. Steve agrees. “The trust is there and we continue to complement each other’s strengths each and every day.”
