Growing demand for services

Therapy South adds to St. Clair medical community

Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos

High School catcher Tyler McGrady had his eye on the runner at first.

The runner broke for second. McGrady came up throwing, looking to nail the sliding runner. The catcher’s right elbow popped in pain. He knew something was wrong.

He was right.

Tommy John surgery and a year of intense rehab kept McGrady off the basepaths, instead putting him on a career path.

“I was in the therapist’s office more than I cared to at that time,” the Pell City native said. “But the impact of the therapy and the return to function drew me in.”

He elaborated. “I was drawn to medicine anyway, but just wasn’t sure which avenue I wanted to pursue,” McGrady said. “When you’re in high school or college and you’re an athlete, and you have an injury, your athleticism in that sport is kind of part of your identity as well. It’s tough to stomach that injury or being on the sideline or in the dugout.

“But just going through that process and rehabbing back, doing a lot of therapy, returning to throwing, all the way back to playing at the college level … The satisfaction you got from completing that process and being able to fully return (to baseball), seeing that firsthand is really what drew me to PT.”

Nearly two decades later, McGrady has 12 years’ experience as a physical therapist and serves as clinic director and partner at Therapy South in Pell City.

While most of us would define “athlete” within the narrow confines of the diamond, gridiron, track, court, course or pool, McGrady sees more broadly.

“There’s a saying that we use a lot of times,” McGrady said. “Everyone’s an athlete. Their sport is different. It may not be baseball or softball. It may be gardening or yardwork, skiing or whatever it is the patient wants to get back to. If we can help facilitate getting them back to something they want to do, that’s a validating feeling on our end.”

Physical therapy is a high demand, rapidly expanding profession in the United States. According to an April report from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physical therapists is expected to grow 15 percent by 2034.

Closer to home, along with its clinic in Pell City, Therapy South also has a clinic in Gadsden. A second St. Clair County clinic is expected to open by year’s end. Nationwide, Therapy South is also expanding.

Baby Boomers are fueling the growth in physical and occupational therapy services, McGrady said.

“That’s the largest generation of people in the country that’s ever been,” he said. “There have to be enough practitioners to provide service for that many people coming through the system. That’s the growth of it.”

The profession, McGrady said, justifies its growth through evidence-based research. “What that does, is it allows us to make valid arguments to insurance companies, to physicians and to clients as well on the need and benefits of our service.”

A graduate of Jacksonville State who did his graduate work in physical therapy at Alabama State University, McGrady has also authored or co-authored scholarly articles for professional journals.

“It’s always important to learn and grow and to do more,” he said. “Any limitation of mine in the clinic is going to be passed on to my patient. So, I feel like it’s my responsibility to be up on the newer things and staying well versed so that I’m providing the best quality of care possible.”

Therapy South is an independent, faith-based, therapist-owned provider, with a nearly four-decade record of effectively treating patients in Pell City. The company now has 43 locations and is expected to grow to 46 by year’s end.

The Pell City clinic has six physical therapists and one occupational therapist.

“We don’t have any deals with anybody,” McGrady said. “We’re completely stand alone. All of our (location) owners – including myself — are still physical therapists and the majority of them treat patients in clinic every day. We really like that about Therapy South.”

He added, “We believe we’ve been given success by God, and it’s important for us to be good stewards of that success and grow and give people opportunities into the future.”

For McGrady, this work is a calling. “We’re all called to something,” he said. “If you are lucky enough to find that purpose and make a career out of it, I think that’s a really special thing.”

The company also mentors young and aspiring therapists.

“We spend a lot of time at Therapy South trying to identify younger people who will come in and do observation hours with us and try to develop relationships with them and find the right person that we want to grow with. You can teach a good person how to be a good therapist, but you can’t always teach a good therapist how to be a good person.”

In Alabama, the profession experienced a “huge” change this past June, McGrady said. In the past, physical and occupational therapists could not see patients without getting a physician referral. Now therapists have unrestricted patient access for up to 30 days.

“For the last 12 years, we could evaluate a patient, but without your physician providing a referral or providing oversight, we could not treat a patient. Now we have more unlimited access to patients.”

While technology has affected the entire medical profession in recent years – making it easier to schedule appointments, etc. – there’s no substitute for the hands-on treatment at the heart of physical and occupational therapy.

“There’s something valuable about being able to put hands on patients and really evaluate what’s going on, to provide that hands-on care,” McGrady said. “At Therapy South, we spend tons of money trying to make our clinicians the best we can so that they are doing the best they can to get our patients better as soon as possible.

“That’s the part that technology will never be able to replace,” McGrady added. “The old adage is that medicine is an art and a science. It’s tough to replace that balance with something like (artificial intelligence) or something that doesn’t have the human touch.”

In a competitive market, Therapy South is committed daily to doing its best for its patients. Most of its staff are homegrown, St. Clair County residents.

Thinking back, McGrady could not have foreseen his life’s work when his elbow blew out. But McGrady’s baseball setback provided lessons for his life and practice.

“Sports teaches a lot of lessons outside of how to throw and catch a ball. You learn how you’re going to respond to adversity. If you’re not the main guy, how are you going to respond to that? If you are the main guy, how are you going to respond to that? There are so many lessons to be learned on the field that correlate to later lessons in life. The lessons learned were more than worth it.”

His philosophy – and that of Therapy South – is simple.

“First and foremost, we’re called to love God and love people. If we treat everyone with respect, be a friend to them and listen to them … Just being able to spend time with patients is unique to therapy. Developing those personal relationships is unique to our profession.”

McGrady and his Therapy South colleagues are affirmed every day by their work, sometimes in sweet ways in keeping with small-town tradition.

“Every patient who comes in trusts you with their care. They come in four to six weeks later doing great. It’s really rewarding to improve someone’s life like that.”

New beginnings

Sawyer reopens Eden Dental after fire

Story and photos by Carol Pappas
Submitted photos

When David Sawyer was only 4, his father, Dr. Joe Sawyer, would pick him up from Avondale Mills kindergarten at noon, and he’d spend the afternoon with him in the denture lab.

“I don’t know much else but dentistry,” Dr. David Sawyer said as workmen were putting the finishing touches on his new building in Eden, replacing the facility his father and then, he, practiced in for decades.

Fourteen treatment rooms feature state-of-the-art equipment

On April 6, 2022, the Eden Family Dentistry/Affordable Dentures building fell victim to fire, and a brand new, expanded facility took its place in mid-July under the name, Eden Dental.

Within days of the fire, Sawyer was able to secure the building and practice of a retiring Pell City dentist, Dr. Sandy Lanter of Restoration Dental, and he has been operating there until the new quarters were ready. “We missed one week of work,” Sawyer recalled.

Now, he opens a new chapter with his associate of 20 years, Dr. Andrea Cibulski, as they welcome three new associates, Drs. Jennifer Reaves, Hannah McCalman Henley and her twin sister, Elizabeth Collier McCalman.

Eden Dental, now operating with five dentists, is a 7,000 square foot, all digital, state-of-the-art facility with 14 treatment rooms and an onsite denture lab. The practice includes children’s and adult general dentistry, implants, one-day dentures and soon, one-day crowns. They accept most insurance, including Delta Dental, which serves Honda.

Sawyer began his general dentistry practice in 1989. While he and his father took similar paths, they headed in different directions. The elder Sawyer started a general dentistry practice working with Dr. Bob McClung, but also worked with one-day dentures in the afternoon.

In 1976, he sold the general practice to McClung, which today is known as Pell City Dental, and worked full-time in dentures. (Coincidentally, Pell City’s one-day dentures were famously mentioned in Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg’s book, All Over but the Shoutin’.)

The younger Sawyer worked with his father, but when he graduated from dental school, he went into general dentistry and sold the denture lab. In the new clinic, dentures are back as part of the services offered, and he has hired a specialist along with nine other new employees to complement existing staff and make up the team at Eden Dental.

It’s a homecoming back to Eden, where it began for Sawyer, a native Pell Citian. He and his wife, Karen, owner of WellWay Whole Health Shoppe, are graduates of Pell City High School as are their three children. Kathryn just graduated from medical school. Hayden is a chemical engineer, and Evan is a certified financial adviser.

Sawyer points with pride to his hometown and the growth it is experiencing, noting that his expansion in terms of staff and services is aimed at serving the needs of that growth.

The Ark opens second location in Springville

Story by Linda Long
Photos by Mackenzie Free

The Ark restaurant in Riverside complete with its storied – and perhaps even checkered past – begins a new chapter this summer. After nearly a century, folks can now enjoy those fabled catfish and hushpuppies – arguably the best ever served, anywhere – at a second location, on Main Street in Springville.

“That’s right,” smiled Kyle Ostermeyer. He, along with his wife, Amanda, are co-owners of the iconic restaurant. “After 94 years, we decided to expand it and have a second location. Springville has welcomed us with open arms.”

Preparing some of the Ark’s famous dishes

As Amanda recalls, her husband learned about the restaurant and its fabled history when he worked as a food service distributor and sold to two of the original Ark’s three previous owners.

 “When Shirley (Shirley Abts) decided to retire in 2022, we purchased The Ark from her, becoming the fourth owner in 94 years,” said Amanda. “We kept the recipes and most of the staff, making just a few cosmetic upgrades to the original location. We always thought we might open another location in the distant future, but when the opportunity to purchase a historic restaurant building in downtown Springville presented itself, we couldn’t pass it up.”

The Ark, Springville, is located in what used to be The Springville Café. Touting the slogan, “Where Springville Meets to Eat,” the eatery proved to be a favorite with the townsfolk for 24 years, until COVID claimed it as yet another victim.

Nobody is happier to see the old restaurant up and running than Springville Mayor Dave Thomas. And he’s especially happy it’s opening as The Ark.

“Anybody who knows catfish knows about the Ark,” he said. “Their reputation precedes them.”

And what a reputation that is. As Kyle proudly points out, awards and accolades just keep on coming for the iconic restaurant. The Ark’s catfish platter is listed on the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel’s “100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die” list. The Ark was also a finalist in a competition sponsored by the Alabama Catfish Producers Association called Bama’s Best Catfish Restaurant and was featured in USA Today’s list of the “Top Ten Catfish Restaurants In The Nation.”

“Opening up here in Springville is significant for everyone involved,” said Thomas. “Significant for the Ark because, I believe, they picked the right market and the right location to be wildly successful. I am thrilled to have such a notable establishment with a following that brings people from far and wide. And a restaurant that has such a rich history.”

That history is the stuff of which legends are made. It reads like pages straight out of a Southern novel with a plot both outrageous and irreverent.

As the story goes, seems the Ark’s first owner, “Red” Thompson didn’t let prohibition or lawmen from two countries deter him from selling alcohol to his patrons. With a rather ingenious, albeit illegal scheme Red bought a dredge barge, moored it just off the Coosa riverbank and operated a floating bar or if you prefer speakeasy.

The original Ark floating on the Coosa

Looking back, Red had a sweet deal going – all the booze thirsty patrons could drink and all the catfish he could catch and cook, right from end of the barge. The wily business owner continued to hoodwink authorities for several years, until the barge was destroyed by fire.

The Ostermeyers aren’t expecting any of that kind of drama in its Springville location, but they are expecting to continue serving up those long famous crispy catfish and hushpuppies.

There is nothing different here in Springville,” said Kyle. “We are duplicating it exactly. People who come here will get the same look, taste and feel that they do at Riverside.”

 That’s good news for the Micah Shelton family who represent three generations of Ark aficionados.

“I can’t get enough of the catfish, and my three-year daughter can’t get enough of the catfish nuggets,” he said. “It’s a place we can consistently get good food and good service. We are a family of four but the generation before me, my parents and my children’s grandparents used to eat at the Riverside location for years.”

Shelton says he is now following that family tradition and carrying his own family to the familiar restaurant. He says his wife Hannah’s favorite Ark offering is the deviled crab “and at the rate we’re going,” he laughed, “it wouldn’t surprise me if our three-month-old cuts his teeth on the hushpuppies.”

We’re really glad to have something that’s familiar to us and more accessible to my family. We’re much closer now that they have a Springville location.”

Mayor Thomas dittos the sentiment. “Folks don’t have to go all the way to Riverside now,” he said. “They can come here and enjoy the same food, the same people. The Ark is part of the Springville fabric and family now.”

More industry growth

Allied Mineral Products breaks ground on $23.5M expansion in Pell City

Allied Mineral Products President and CEO Paul Jamieson didn’t expect to be standing where he was on June 11, addressing a crowd of over 100 people to break ground on a $23.5 million expansion. At least not this soon.

It is the company’s second expansion in five years at the Pell City plant, adding a 200,000 square foot production facility, which will generate 13 new jobs and boost the employment roster to 100.

“Our partnership with Alabama is strengthened yet again with the expansion of this plant which we built in 2019,” said Jamieson. “Our theme for this event is ‘Growth Propels Us.’ This is true for Allied globally, but nowhere more apparent than here in Pell City,” he told the crowd.

“Locating our facility in Alabama was part of a long-term strategy to expand our manufacturing presence in the South to be closer to our customers. Because of the quality of this workforce and the local support here, our growth in Alabama has been faster than we planned,” Jamieson added. “We are excited to be expanding our facility so soon and are confident this will help us to continue that growth.”

County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon

“Since its founding over 60 years ago, Allied Mineral Products has grown into a global company, serving multiple industries and registering sales to more than 100 countries,” said Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair. “With a worldwide presence, the company could have selected another location for this investment, so this expansion in Pell City is truly a testament to the workforce there.”

Jamieson, too, talked of the quality of Allied’s employees, which ensured growth in Alabama quicker than planned. “The global standard is being set right here in Alabama,” he said.

The employee-owned stock company produces a variety of heat containment refractory products used in industrial applications. Construction on the new facility, now under way, will be competed in late 2025. In addition to the new building, the expansion will include installation of new manufacturing equipment including cranes, drying ovens and mixers.

Allied will increase the Pell City facility’s production capacity, improve efficiency, prepare it for growth and increase its ability to serve the company’s Southern region.

Joining Commerce to support the project were the Pell City Industrial Development Board and the Alabama workforce development agency AIDT, which will provide services including skills training on automation technologies for company workers.

“We are happy that Allied Mineral chose its Pell City facility for this new investment. It is always good to see our growth in our industrial base and is a reflection of the quality of the workforce in St. Clair County,” said Stan Batemon, chairman of the St. Clair County Commission. “it validates that we’re doing something right in providing a quality workforce.”

Pell City Mayor Bill Pruitt also cheered the company’s growth plans. “The City of Pell City is proud to see the continued growth and success at Allied Mineral Products,” Pruitt said. “New investment and job growth will stimulate the local economy and highlight the fact that Pell City is a great place for business.”

Besides Pell City, Allied has U.S. locations in Brownsville, Texa,s and Columbus, Ohio, where it is headquartered. The company also has facilities in Canada, South America, Europe, India, China, South Africa and Russia.

Planet Fitness coming to Pell City

Latest national chain to open location in St. Clair

Another national brand is heading to Pell City. Construction is already underway on Planet Fitness on Vaughan Lane, further populating the commercial stretch that runs by the expansive Walmart Supercenter shopping area known as Bankhead Crossings.

That district already includes Home Depot, Holiday Inn Express, Buffalo Wild Wings, Premier Cinema and Entertainment Center, Hampton Inn, Comfort Suites, City Market, Freddie’s Steakburgers, Zaxby’s, Krystal and Wendy’s. Under construction next to Home Depot is TownPlace Suites by Marriott.

City and company officials project an opening date in December for Planet Fitness. “It’s such a big name,” said City Manager Brian Muenger. “It will pair very well with business travelers. It’s a very welcome amenity to our community as a whole, but it will be attractive to business travelers, too.”

The two-story complex calls for massage and training areas, tanning beds and more. With more than 2,500 locations, Planet Fitness says its goal is “to provide a clean, safe, welcoming environment for anyone who walks through our door, and all the equipment, amenities and support you need once you’re here.”

Membership allows you access to other locations in addition to your home club.

“It’s exciting to see another building coming out of the ground and filling Bankhead Crossings,” said Muenger, referring to the commercial district.

And it is another sign of more growth for the future of Pell City overall.

A new subdivision is being developed nearby on Florida Road, where 200 homes are expected to be built. Sewer, curb and gutter work is “moving right along” on what is to be called Oak Village, Muenger said. Planet Fitness and other developments should be quality of life amenities attractive to residential growth.

Just across the interstate, Pell City Square is performing well. In the first eight months since opening, “it is substantially ahead of projected numbers. It is performing above expectations.”

Pell City Square is home to Hobby Lobby, TJ JMaxx, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta, PetSmart, Old Navy and Five Below. Under construction nearby are Whataburger and Outback Steakhouse.

What else can Pell City expect? Muenger hints that more growth is up ahead. “A lot of sites are getting interest.”

Hope steps up

Freedom’s Finds uses thrifting to help survivors of human trafficking

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka

Gabby Martin knows human trafficking is not just a big city problem, a fact she has heard repeated in a number of training events aimed at helping victims. It can happen anywhere at any time.

A recent report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation defines the potential area of vulnerability to human trafficking as “any U.S. community – cities, suburbs, and rural areas.” 

Martin and two close friends, having been stirred by viewing the movie, Sound of Freedom, started a not-for-profit mission in Pell City that hopes to help victims of human trafficking.  Named Freedom’s Harbor, the mission gives a nod to the movie’s name and its mission in helping women who have escaped from or been rescued from traffickers.  They are raising money to build a home for those who have survived this unspeakably painful horror. 

One of the avenues they are using to reach that goal is through the opening of a new resale store called Freedom’s Finds.  Located in downtown Pell City, the 2,900-square-foot store features a variety of previously owned, but well-maintained merchandise at thrift store prices. 

A21’s Kimberly Thompson (left) visits with Ann and Gabby to offer advice on the mission’s direction

“We started the store to build revenue for the house itself and to pay the bills for running the home,” said Martin.  “The plan further down the road is for the ladies who will be living in the home to work in the store if they want to. We want the store to support the mission of giving these ladies a safe harbor to begin the healing process.”

Seven years ago, The WellHouse opened in St. Clair County for women who have been victims of human trafficking. Carolyn Potter, The WellHouse’s chief executive officer, has met with Martin and welcomes any help for these victims.  “There are times when we are full and we could always use help with a place for a lady to stay until we have a place for her,” says Potter. 

Martin plans to position Freedom’s Harbor as a stabilization home for short-term living while waiting for a placement in a facility like The WellHouse, which offers long-term transitional care and counseling. 

Why St. Clair? The very busy Interstate 20, the thoroughfare that bisects the southern part of the county and connects Atlanta to Birmingham, is commonly referred to as the superhighway of human trafficking, because it connects Atlanta to Dallas and is close to Interstate 65 for northbound and southbound travel. 

Adding to the county’s vulnerability is the proximity to Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport, which has been identified as the second busiest airport for human trafficking in the country by the Polaris Project, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, in the 17 years since its inception, it has received over 10,000 cases, with more than 16,000 victims, and those numbers are rising. 

In 2021, they issued a report by state, and Alabama’s hotline received 80 cases with 216 victims involved.  It is difficult to quantify the exact number of victims of human trafficking because of the complex nature of the crime and mental health impacts it leaves on its victims. 

Countless victims never come forward due to the physical and psychological abuse from their traffickers. 

In a move to bolster resources and to better focus on ways to help, Martin has reached out to several agencies who have firsthand knowledge of the human trafficking crisis. 

She has gone through training from a number of those resources, including from A21, an anti-human trafficking group whose name stands for Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century.    A21 operates on six continents and in 21 countries with their mission to “abolish slavery everywhere forever,” a daunting task, considering the International Labor Organization’s estimate of 49.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide. 

They consider education to be an important part of their focus, including providing information for those, like Martin, wanting to offer services to victims, and offering programs to educate first responders on how to help victims. 

“We also have a school curriculum that is available, designed for ages from kindergarten through high school,” said Kim Thompson, A21’s chief development officer.   “Educating children and youth on what to look out for is an important step in the prevention of human trafficking.”

Thompson tells about launching the pilot program for education in a junior high school and having several students come forward as potential victims of grooming, trafficking and exploitation. 

“One of these students was planning to meet with someone she had connected with online, and because of what the student learned through A21’s curriculum, she shared with her teacher what was happening.  Her teacher alerted law enforcement officers, who were able to identify the individual and keep the student from a potentially dangerous situation.”

Thompson has had a heart for victims all her life.  Her first exposure to human trafficking was early in her career when she was working as a summer camp director and had one of her campers become inconsolable. 

“We were not able to get her to tell what the problem was at first,” said Thompson.  “But eventually she told us her father was raping her and letting others in their apartment complex do the same.  She desperately didn’t want to go home with him.  I was heartbroken.  I didn’t even know what trafficking was at the time.” 

The camp staff contacted the sheriff’s department, who got the FBI involved.  “In the end, the father was arrested, and the girl was removed from the home,” Thompson added.  “Oh, and she was just 12 years old.”

Even the term, “human trafficking,” is often misunderstood.  People tend to focus on the perceived “movement” part of the words.  “Movement is not what makes a situation human trafficking,” explains Thompson.  “People who are smuggled are not necessarily being trafficked.  They’re vulnerable to human trafficking, though, because of their loss of control.  Force, fraud or coercion is what defines human trafficking.” 

Human trafficking includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking.  Victims of both are lured by the prospects of a better job, better future, other fraudulent promises or are forced into trafficking by a family member. 

They never receive the job, promised future or compensation but, often, stay with their trafficker in response to threats by their captor, which often include threats against the victim’s family. 

“The vast majority of people know their trafficker,” says Thompson.  “They are recruited or groomed by people they know or think they know.  Our children are especially vulnerable because of their online activity.” 

While the number of cases of trafficking in Alabama remains lower than surrounding states, neighboring states Georgia and Florida are among the list of top 10 states for human trafficking cases, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. 

Gabby Martin knows trafficking knows no community size.  “Anywhere people feel trapped or stuck, desperate or abused,” says Martin, “that’s where people are vulnerable.”

Having been in an abusive relationship over a decade ago, she knows what desperation feels like.  She feels lucky to have escaped that situation and to have found a room at a YWCA domestic violence shelter in Eden, a home which has since closed.  “We want to be that beacon of light for women who have escaped a trafficking situation, to help them with a place to shelter, to receive life skills, counseling and to help them become self-sufficient.”

Editor’s Note: For more information or to donate – www.freedomsharbor.com. Freedom’s Finds is open Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Coming in August – A deeper look into the hope and help provided by another organization that supports and provides help to survivors of human trafficking in St. Clair County.