July 10, 2008
Women in Business
by Karen Wallace
The Lyons Recorder
Bronwyn Muldoon
Bronwyn Muldoon, owner of Lyons Physical Therapy, recently celebrated nine years of business in Lyons. She recalls her first office; a small room on Main Street. “It was about six feet by six feet. The treatment table fit in the room, with just enough space for me to walk around it to work on patients.” Muldoon moved on to bigger locations as her clientele grew, and recently moved into her latest location at 435 High Street (previously Video Mania). Over the years Muldoon has nurtured her business and become an integral part of the community.
Muldoon was raised in Virginia, and went to college in North Carolina. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commercial recreation management. After graduation she decided to travel west. She had never been to Colorado but had seen some pictures and decided to make the journey. Muldoon ended up in the mountains, not too far from Aspen. Muldoon immediately loved life in Colorado and was surprised to find a relative, B.J. Williams, living in Aspen. Eventually, Muldoon took a job at Williams’ physical therapy practice. Muldoon assisted Williams in many areas of the practice, and, after four years as an assistant, Muldoon made the decision to go back to school to make physical therapy a career.
Muldoon’s bachelor’s degree hadn’t included science classes, and before applying for physical therapy school she had to catch up by taking several classes. Muldoon was not daunted by the commute from Aspen to Boulder to attend school, and over time she was ready to apply to school. Her first choice was CU. Her prerequisite course work was complete, but she needed to complete an interview before she could be accepted. Her interview was scheduled for July 7.
Unfortunately, the Fourth of July found Muldoon in the hospital after a bad mountain biking accident, and when she tried to reschedule the interview, she was told, “No, reapply next year.” Muldoon was devastated but with the support of her aunt, she did not give up. Williams found an advertisement for a physical therapy school in Scotland. Admissions staff were conducting interviews in New Jersey in October. Out of 100 candidates, 20 were chosen. Muldoon received her acceptance in November, and immediately began preparing for the trip. Classes started in January.
Muldoon traveled to Aberdeen, in northern Scotland. Aberdeen is known as the “granite city.” and Muldoon immediately saw why. “It was gray, the buildings were gray, the North Sea was gray, and the sky was gray. It rained all the time.” Although she missed home and the sun and blue skies of Colorado, Muldoon quickly realized the good fortune that going to school in Scotland gave her. With socialized medicine, and no fears of malpractice, the students were immediately put to work on live patients. Muldoon began building a strong foundation for her practice from day one.
While in Scotland, Muldoon received an email from an old friend. Marcus Osborne had been taking classes with Muldoon’s dad and got her email address from him. Muldoon was too busy to be distracted by him, but he persisted.
In 1997, following graduation in Scotland, Muldoon moved back to Colorado. She began working as an itinerant physical therapist, traveling to roughly 30 different clinics around the Denver area, filling in for other therapists. Muldoon observed many different styles of practices and was able to evaluate what worked and did not work in each of them. This experience gave her a great deal of insight when she decided to start a business of her own. As Muldoon observed the clinics, the other therapists were also observing her. They were very surprised at the skill she brought to the table for such a “new” therapist. Muldoon gave the credit to the excellent education she had received in Scotland.
After a year of settling down, Muldoon was ready to put her thoughts elsewhere, and welcomed old friend and frequent email pal, Osborne, to Colorado. They were soon married.
Muldoon continued working in Denver for several years. A friend of a friend told her about a doctor in Lyons who was looking for a physical therapist. There were none in the small town, and he felt there was a need. Muldoon scheduled an interview for a Friday and when the doctor, Mike Rakotz, came into the interview wearing shorts, Muldoon was immediately impressed with the casual atmosphere. She jumped at the opportunity to begin working in Lyons, but without an established clientele, she knew she couldn’t quit working in Denver. For four years, Muldoon split her week between Denver and Lyons. During that four years, Muldoon and Osborne welcomed two wee ones to their household, and Muldoon’s practice had grown enough that moving to Lyons and making her practice here full time were logical choices. As the practice continued to grow, so did Muldoon’s family, and between 2005 and 2007, two more children joined the clan.
Muldoon’s move to High Street has been a benefit to her in many ways. The complete gutting of the interior old building has created a bright, new space where there is plenty of room for private treatment rooms, exercise areas for patients, and best of all, a back area where her children can work on homework while Muldoon works on clients. Muldoon had a hand in the design of her space, choosing the colors on the walls, the flooring and more. Additionally Muldoon loves the quiet, slower pace found on High Street. “I love seeing people walking by or riding bikes. Also, the recent changes have made parking very easy for clients.”
Muldoon now employs an office manager and an assistant. She’s able to accept all insurances, but is also willing to work with clients who are not insured. Muldoon has gotten to know the community through her work and sees success in her treatment of patients better than any advertising she could buy. “Almost all of my new clients come to me because of word of mouth. So many people are living with pain, and they don’t have to. I strongly encourage people to come see me before the pain becomes chronic.”
Muldoon credits her success to the support that she has received from the community, and she is thankful to be able to give back. She is a frequent donor to charities; she is a volunteer at the elementary school and also helps out with her daughter’s Brownie troop.
Nine years ago, when Muldoon accepted the offer to open a physical therapy office in Lyons, she knew she was taking a risk. The commuting, hard work, long hours and persistence paid off, and she has created a successful business in a community that she calls home.
Muldoon is looking forward to sharing the changes of the High Street location with the community at an August open house.