In the spirit of giving this holiday season, we would like to recognize Premier Bone & Joint Centers as the December 2019 Business of the Month.
Premier Bone & Joint Centers (originally called Gem City Bone & Joint) was founded in 1973 by Dr. David Kieffer. Forty-six years later, the practice has 9 offices around the state, 8 doctors, 150 employees, and 4 planes. In Laramie alone, the office employs 140 people. With the building of their new Surgery and Physical Therapy Center of Excellence, the operations will continue to expand.
Along with Premier being the official team physicians for the University of Wyoming and traveling around the state on their plane to remote communities to provide access to the highest trained specialty physicians, the medical practice gives back to the community in a significant way. In Laramie, it is common to see the ‘Premier Bone & Joint – Worthy of Wyoming’ logo on every community event and youth team jersey. “It’s symbiotic,” said CEO Tom Wolfe. “When you support the town and businesses, you become part of everybody’s way of life.”
Some of the events and programs that Premier Bone & Joint Centers supports during the holidays are a family adoption where the staff provides gifts for 13 families and 31 children. This year was the first time they offered a Meet Santa event with pictures, story time, and letters to Santa. “That turned out to be pretty successful for our first time,” remarked Tom.
There is a committee of 12 people (one from each department) that organizes Premier Bone & Joint’s participation in the many community events: the fundraisers for people in the community such as a chili cookoff, Relay for Life team, Jackalope Jump, Jubilee Days, City of Laramie Clean-Up, the Parade, Easter Egg Hunt, and Safe Treat. In addition, the physical therapy department hosts free R.A.D. self-defense classes throughout the year.
“Every month we have a bonus Jean Day where people can bring in canned goods or monetary donations – we rotate between the Laramie Soup Kitchen and Interfaith.” Premier Bone & Joint is also a United Way Pace Setter and have many employees that personally donate to the United Way campaign.
Tom added, “When you talk about Premier giving, it’s not just that we write a check, we are out amongst the townsfolk at their own level. It’s a broad scope effort.”
Ryan Claxton, the Director of Marketing for Premier Bone & Joint Centers is also actively involved in Leadership Laramie, a program of the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance and is an active member of the steering committee that designed the new 2-year curriculum to further enhance leadership skills and create leadership opportunities in Albany County.
2020 for Premier Bone & Joint Centers will be focused on finishing the new Surgery and Physical Therapy Center in July, an expansion at their office in Gillette and another remodel in their satellite office in Rock Springs. “Our continued focus is on quality of care and expanding our footprint,” added Tom.