TAC: Tell us a little bit about the history of Foot Levelers, Inc.
Greenawalt: Foot Levelers is the world’s largest custom-made Spinal Pelvic Stabilizer company. We use the term Stabilizer instead of orthotic, because our products stabilize the pelvis and spine by correcting imbalances in the feet. They are custom-made and scientifically designed to address the patient’s unique postural problems. They are not the same as a product that can be bought off the shelf. My father, Dr. Monte Greenawalt, founded the company in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1952. He is a chiropractor who learned that, by supporting the feet, you can make adjustments hold longer. We have been perfecting Stabilizers ever since. In fact, we have had many patents awarded to us for our unique designs. In 1988, Foot Levelers moved to Roanoke, Virginia. Foot Levelers is over 50 years old, and we’re just getting started.
TAC: How are you giving back to the chiropractic profession?
Greenawalt: Foot Levelers has supported chiropractic from the beginning, because my father believed in giving back to the profession. At Foot Levelers, we do our best to support all levels of chiropractic. We give financial support to all of the chiropractic colleges, the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA), The Foundation for Chiropractic Research & Education (FCER), as well as state and national associations. We believe in education and, as a result, we have funded scholarship programs and also enhanced chiropractic colleges with libraries, research chairs, and laboratories. In addition to supporting chiropractic on a large scale, we also support the individual chiropractors, because they are the heart and soul of the profession. We have held hundreds of license-renewal seminars over the past twenty-plus years, and we also publish professional manuals to help chiropractors get appropriate compensation from insurance companies. But it has always been a pleasure and an honor to give back to a profession that does so much good for so many people.
TAC: Being an insider on the “vendor” side of the profession, what advice do you have for our readers to help them make the best buying decisions?
Greenawalt: I advise your readers to do their research, and make sure that the vendor can prove that their products will help patients. Any worthwhile company should be able to support their claims with research. At Foot Levelers, we want the doctors to know that our Stabilizers are custom-made and backed up by over 50 years of research which documents their performance. We want the doctors to be confident that our products can help their patients. I know as well as anybody that chiropractors want to be doctors, not salespeople. But if an adjunct product can truly benefit the patient and improve their health, then I believe that it is the doctor’s responsibility to get that product to the patient.
TAC: What are Foot Levelers’ plans for the future?
Greenawalt: I want to help chiropractic grow as a profession. In light of this goal, I have organized the United Chiropractic Public Relations Campaign. The goal is simple—bring more patients into chiropractic offices. The chiropractic leaders who support this PR campaign have agreed not to start any public relations efforts on their own and to support one unified message: to get the general public to go see a chiropractor. The fighting within chiropractic hurts us in every way—with the government, with insurance companies, and worst of all, with potential patients. Only one-in-ten Americans sees a chiropractor. We need to change that for the sake of the patients. But we can only accomplish growth and change if we work together.
TAC: Any closing remarks or advice for our readers?
Greenawalt: I encourage your readers to get involved in every way they can. Become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce. Be active as an area expert in your field. Give time or money to help your alma mater improve and grow. Get involved in your college’s alumni association and recruiting efforts. Support the United Chiropractic Public Relations Campaign. Become a member of state and/or national chiropractic associations, if you haven’t already. Chiropractic needs you now more than ever. Without dedicated, involved chiropractors, there is no profession. TAC