Kristen Boles is the assistant marketing director for Physical Therapy Services. She has worked for the company for two and a half years. She’s also on the board of the Chamber’s Downtown Council.
What do you do?
“I do all of the marketing for the company in conjunction with the director of marketing, John Murphy. Most of our business is through referrals from doctors, so I go out to offices and talk to the physicians and referral people and encourage them to send business our way. I try to go into businesses just to get the word out to more people at one time. I do lunches, networking and community events because we also do massage therapy. So I’ll go out to places like Chamber functions, Duval County schools, and business functions and do different health and benefits fairs. With the schools we do a corporate massage program where we go out to the schools during Teacher Appreciation Week and give complimentary massages to the teachers. We also do complimentary massages at the health fairs.”
What did you do prior to
this job?
“I worked for another physical therapy company at the front desk and did some marketing, but I decided I wanted to do all marketing, so I came to this company. Before that I was in the fitness business.”
How did you become involved with the company?
“I saw an ad in the paper. It’s a small business, yet it’s one where if you take care of them, they’ll take care of you, and so it’s a great company to work for. The longer you stay around, the more involved you get and the more it means to you and the more satisfaction I get out of it. I’ll be here a long time.”
Who are your main clientele?
“Any physical therapy diagnosis, so anything from injuries to disabilities. Massage therapy is for anybody, it’s a privilege.”
How many locations are there?
“Three. One is Downtown at Duval and Lee streets across from the LaVilla School of the Arts and there is another location on Merrill Road in Arlington next to Bailey’s Powerhouse Gym. I work at the one at Atlantic and Gervin Road. That location is the busiest and has the marketing department.”
How long has the company been around?
“Fifteen years. The company was started by Pene Marie Murphy, who is president and a physical therapist, and her husband, John, who is the vice president and does public relations and marketing work. We do everything here one on one, so it’s a more quality care. The Downtown office has been around for two years.”
What’s most challenging about your job?
“The fact that the doctors have to refer the patients to us. I can encourage it all I can but I can’t specifically control it. It’s getting business and hoping that I can influence it as much as I can, but the ultimate decision is not in my hands. There is also a lot of competition.”
What’s most rewarding?
“I make really good relationships with different referral coordinators and you get on a personal level with them. I care about what they are doing and what’s going on in their life and work environment and they care about mine too.”
How is marketing for physical therapy different from marketing products?
“It is a service and not a tangible good.”
How did you get involved with the Downtown Council?
“John and Pene have been members for over 10 years, so I went to a meeting with them. This past year I was voted onto the board.”
Are you involved with any other organizations?
“The Arlington Council, Professional Women’s Council, and the Make a Wish Foundation.”
College
Degree in Sport Administration from Bradley University in Illinois and grad school at
Florida State University.
Family
Husband and 14-month-old daughter. New baby on the way at the end of January. She has two sisters, one in Wisconsin and the other in Chicago. The rest of her family lives in Chicago.
Hobbies
Running, she ran track and cross country in college, and all kinds of sports like swimming and tennis. She was a figure skater for 16 years.
Resides
East Arlington.
– by Carrie Resch