Each week, #SpanningtheNeed will present an “Inspirational Person of the Week’ and have a “Q & A” with one of its many gifted individuals and/or groups who are willing to go out of their own way to help others. This week’s featured is Chris Raymond from Raymond Chiropractic in Austintown, Ohio.
Name: Christopher Raymond, DC, CCSP
Position: Clinic Owner / Doctor of Chiropractic
Organization: Raymond Chiropractic
Bio: Dr. Chris Raymond, born in Austintown, graduating Austintown Fitch in 2000, Youngstown State University in 2004 with a Bachelors of Science, and Palmer College of Chiropractic, Iowa in 2008. Dr. Raymond opened the doors to Raymond Chiropractic in 2008 after deciding to return to Austintown and began private practice. Due to his immense background with sports, Dr. Raymond pursued additional educational opportunities, earning his Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician certification and advanced training for concussion diagnosis and management, which aided him as a team physician at both his Alma Maters, Austintown Fitch and Youngstown State University. He worked as a team physician with Dr. James Shina for 9 years at Fitch, taking over the program solely, where he remained through the 2021 season and passing the torch to another provider. He continues to be a member of the YSU Sports Medicine team, working alongside other physicians and Athletic Trainers in a multi-disciplinary approach to treating athletes. Raymond Chiropractic has grown into one of the biggest chiropractic offices in the tri-county area and continues to be a trendsetter for chiropractic care to Austintown and all the surrounding areas. Dr. Raymond lives in Austintown with his wife Jennifer and has two children, Chase and Kendall, both of whom attend Austintown schools. In his free time, Dr. Raymond enjoys family, golf, and his Cleveland sports obsession.
What made you want to go into this field?
I knew that I had always wanted to be in the position to help people in the healthcare arena, and when I was younger, I thought I’d always end up as an orthopedic surgeon. As I continued to matriculate through my education, I found I was more drawn to a profession where I was able to help people and teach them to help themselves. Chiropractic was that pathway for me. I knew the benefit of this care for athletes, as it helped me in my youth, but it wasn’t until I delved deeper into it that I knew it was the route I wanted to take.
What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful?
My family and my upbringing have helped my success in unmeasurable ways. My parents taught me my drive, my work ethic, and my compassion. I continued to mold and refine those traits and utilize them into my career.
What is the biggest professional mistake you made along the way?
The biggest mistake I have made along the way was underestimating how difficult it is to build a practice from the ground up. I thought it would be as easy as hanging a shingle and the patients would simply show up. It took more blood, sweat and tears than I ever would’ve imagined, but to be honest, it was all worth it, because I understand the value of where I am and where I am going. If it would have been easy, I don’t think I would appreciate the blessing I have in front of me, serving people every day.
What is the hardest decision you ever had to make in this field?
Hardest decision was to expand. My practice was running like a well-oiled machine, but I had the opportunity, should I decide to take it, to expand my practice by building a free-standing clinic much larger than I ever imagined I would’ve been capable of doing. At the end of the day, I made the leap, and fortunately bounced higher than where I was rather than falling on my face. Building my current office building with other practitioners to work side by side with was the hardest and the best decision I have ever made thus far.
If you could start all over again, what would you do differently regarding your profession?
In all honesty, I wouldn’t do one thing differently. Every experience thus far, the good ones and the bad ones, have all had positive impacts in my personal and professional growth.
What inspires you to do good in our community?
I live in this community; I am raising my children in this community. I want to see this community continue to flourish, allowing the future to be bright for everyone that comes behind me. This community helped shape me, so I strive to leave it better than what it was for me when I am done.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering in our community?
I enjoy my interactions with the people I encounter. I enjoy learning about different people, different backgrounds, what drives them, what we have in common and what we can see through different lenses when we stand back and see different perspectives.
What song best describes you or is the soundtrack to your life?
I’ve never really thought of this before, but if I had to really think, I feel Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song “Simple Man” probably fits my life best and my perspective on how I move through my days, weeks, and years, focusing on what’s important to me and not material.
What is your best accomplishment/experience in life?
My children are my best personal accomplishment. My family is one of my strongest driving forces, day in and day out.
Professionally, I have had the privilege of winning several awards and acknowledgments thus far in my career, but my best accomplishment must be finishing my first year in private practice. That first year, difficult as it was, was pivotal in my growth as a person and as a physician.
Who is your role model and Why?
My parents have and will always be my greatest role models. I watched the countless sacrifices they made, the dedication to our family, and the drive and values they instilled in both my sister and me. “Responsibilities before privileges” is something they always said and continues to define my decision processes daily. All this while they were young parents, learning their own life’s lessons as they went, trying to do their best and give us the best opportunities that they could offer us, often at the expense of themselves.
If there was one person that you would like to meet, past or present and why?
That’s a tough question, and one I really don’t have an answer to. There are famous historical people I would love to meet, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin come to mind because of my inner passion for patriots of the Revolutionary War. Zig Ziglar or Stephen Covey for their contributions to personal development and growth. My paternal and maternal great-grandparents to better understand my family lineage better and more clearly. I don’t think I could pick just one person, there are too many that come to mind right away.
A favorite quote that you live by?
There’s two that come to mind:
“Try to become not a man of success but try rather to become a man of value.” This was I believe Albert Einstein.
The other is a quote by Pele. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.”
