GrandMastersRx

Ed’s final outpatient physical therapy private sector venture of three outpatient rehabilitation clinics from 1999 to 2012 was a product of a non-competition contract in the direct Tampa Bay Area. Ed and an exceptionally small administrative team managed all aspects (strategic, financial and operational) of the three Sarasota-based clinics that expanded to 38,000 visits and $1.0 million in annual profit. Ed brings 32 years of executive operational and financial management expertise, including holding positions at an executive level with Select Medical Systems as an Officer and Vice President from 1997 to 1999 and at RehabWorks, a subsidiary of Continental Medical Systems, Inc., as a Regional Vice President from 1993 to 1997.

In addition to his executive roles, he has also served these companies as a pioneer in the development of systems to educate, communicate, monitor and control expectations and results at both the therapist and administrative levels. These systems allowed for a lean infrastructure and generous incentive plans for the caregivers and care teams, resulting in ambitious and loyal workforces.

Ed’s business personality and philosophies have allowed him to function successfully and with mutual respect at all levels within an organization. As a hands-on, systems-based manager and executive, expectations are always realized.

• 2020-present: Cofounder of GrandMastersRx, an educational company focused on training CrossFit affiliates, gyms and healthcare professionals through seminars and other resources about a specific exercise training method for ages ranging 60-94 years of age
•  2015-present: Cofounder Legends Strength & Conditioning at CrossFit Rebels. A robust, dynamic & revolutionary training program for hundreds of aging athletes ranging from 60-94 years of age. In February of 2017 an educational compilation of the Legends S&C program launched its first continuing education seminar to coaches, trainers and healthcare professionals on cutting edge methods to train the aging athlete
• 2010-2020: Cofounder & Owner of CrossFit Rebels affiliate located in Clearwater, Florida
• 1999-2012: Owner, Officer, Administrator of (3) highly successful physical & occupational therapy centers in Bradenton & Manatee counties
• 2000-2016: Researcher, author & Not-For-Profit work with the Arthritis Research Institute of America, involving the largest & oldest study on Osteoarthritis in the US. Coauthored 5 research papers on OA published in peer reviewed, highly respected journals. Board Member including Chairman for 11 years
• 1997-1999: Officer and Vice President, Outpatient Operations, Select Medical Corporation
  • Supervised growth and development of 100+ outpatient rehabilitation clinics throughout the US and Canada
  • Directly responsible for 23 outpatient rehabilitation clinics within five states realizing $3.5 million in annual profit
  • Created and implemented national computerized management and outcome-based programs to monitor fiscal and patient population goals
• 1993-1997: Regional President and Vice President of RehabWorks, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Medical Systems. Supervised growth & development of 25 outpatient rehabilitation clinics realizing $30 million in revenue. Engineered acquisitions & startups for Outpatient Clinic Division. Instrumental in cutting edge clinical pathways enhancing above average patient outcomes
• 1987-1994: Founded KneeWorks, an education-based company solidifying his professional expertise as an expert in knee rehabilitation. National & International lecturer of over 100 seminars throughout 3 countries and 25 US states including a commission by the US Government under President George H.W. Bush as a consultant to the US Trade Commission in Tokyo, Japan. Created the first Knee Fellowship program for rehabilitation professionals
• 1985-1992: Founded, owned & operated (3) outpatient physical therapy clinics in Tampa Bay, Florida specializing in knee rehabilitation
• 1984-present: Practicing & licensed physical therapist, PT#4162

• Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration, 1998, LaSalle University, Louisiana, with honors
• Master’s in Business Administration, 1997, LaSalle University, Louisiana
• Bachelor of Health Science in Physical Therapy, 1984, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, with honors
• CF-L2 CrossFit Trainer, 2020
• CF-L1 Trainer Revalidation, 2015
• CF-L1 CrossFit Trainer, 2010
• CrossFit Football Course
• CrossFit Gymnastics Course
• CrossFit Mobility Course
• CrossFit Competitors Course
• CrossFit Kids Course
• Starting Strength
• Functional Movement Systems Level 1 & 2
• USA Weightlifting Level 1
• OPEX Competitors Course
• i-99 Gymnastics Level 2

RESEARCH & NOT-FOR-PROFIT WORK

• Authored the following research papers with the Arthritis Research Institute of America, involving the largest and oldest study on Osteoarthritis in the nation.
  • Wilder FV, Barrett JP, Farina EJ. The Association of Radiographic Foot Osteoarthritis and Radiographic Osteoarthritis at Other Sites. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage. 2005 Mar; 13(3): 211-5.
  • Wilder FV, Barrett JP, Farina EJ. Radiographic Progression of Foot Osteoarthritis and the Role of Regular Exercise. J Am Podiatric Med Assoc. 2005 Jul.
  • Wilder FV, Barrett JP, Farina EJ. Exercise and Osteoarthritis: Are We Stopping Too Early? Pilot Findings from the Clearwater Exercise Study. J of Aging and Phy Activity. 2005 Oct.
  • Wilder FV, Barrett JP, Farina EJ. Sex-Specific Incidence and Progression Rates of Thumb Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: The Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study. 2005 Oct.
  • Wilder FV, Barrett JP, Farina EJ. Joint Specific Prevalence of Osteoarthritis of the Hand. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage. 2006 June.
• Published research on the advances of aquatic treatment for joint replacement patients
• Commissioned by the US Government in 1989 as an International Consultant for the United States Trade Commission under President George W. Bush, to Tokyo, Japan

PUBLIC SECTOR

• A founder of Select Medical Corporation in 1997, assisted with the growth and development of a startup organization, realizing $800 million in annualized revenue within three years
• Designed and implemented numerous computerized management programs for RehabWorks

PRIVATE SECTOR/ENTREPRENEURIAL EFFORTS

• National Consultant for Medtronic Corporation and Chattanooga Corporation
• Created a series of educational videos to teach healthcare professionals new and innovative protocols for the treatment of numerous knee pathologies
• National and International lecturer for 12 years on the subject of knee rehabilitation and corporate management
• Created the first Knee Fellowship Program for rehabilitation professionals
• 2003 Founded Vista Therapy Center, LLC
• 2001 Acquired Progressive Rehabilitation Agency, Inc
• 1991 Founded Florida Bladder Control and Incontinence Specialists, Clearwater, Florida
• 1990 Founded Sixty-Sixth Street P.T. Inc, St. Petersburg, Florida
• 1989 Founded Florida Institute for Physical Therapy, Port Richey, Florida
• 1989 Founded The Arthritis Spa, Clearwater, Florida
• 1989 Founded KneeWorks, Clearwater, Florida
• 1985 Founded Florida Institute for Physical Therapy, Clearwater, Florida

3/2015-PRESENT – CO-FOUNDER, TRAINER

Cofounder of GrandMastersRx, an educational company focused on training CrossFit affiliates, gyms and healthcare professionals through seminars and other resources about a specific exercise training method for ages ranging 60-94 years of age

3/2015-PRESENT – CO-FOUNDER, TRAINER

Legends Strength & Conditioning, Clearwater, FL
Providing exercise and nutritional coaching to athletes 65-94 years of age.
Currently coaching over 75 active athletes, three times a week in various settings.
Responsible for progressing their movements and recommending advancements in settings.

2/2009-10/2020 OWNER, TRAINER AND NUTRITION COACH

CrossFit Rebels & RebelHealth, Clearwater, FL
Co-founded and operated CrossFit Rebels for 10 years.  At the 6 year mark, CrossFit Rebels ranked in top 4% of over 12,000 worldwide CrossFit affiliates.
It operated 5 lines of programming with 20 coaches and 300 total athletes including kids and seniors. Sam and Ed sold CrossFit Rebels in October of 2020.

2/2007-PRESENT – FOUNDER

RebelHealth, International, Clearwater, FL
General health improvement company (sole proprietorship) to provide personal training services, nutritional coaching, including behavior modification, lifestyle coaching, basic nutritional education, meal planning, cooking lessons and pantry “overhauls”.

2/2001-5/2004 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Florida Orthopaedic Institute, Tampa, FL

Responsible for all departments within the outpatient operations division, including Patient Care, Ancillary Services, Patient Services, Facilities Management and Quality Assurance.

Managed and coordinated the start up of 5 in-house physical and occupational therapy clinics, the coordination of the construction and equipping of a new Surgery Center and the coordination and planning for a new 18,000 square foot Medical Office Building. Managed the implementation of MRI services including coordinating information on purchase, the structural ability of the building to support the MRI and operational execution of services.

Resigned (on good terms) due to increased commute caused by relocation.

5/2000-2/2001 DISTRICT DIRECTOR

Kessler.RMS, Pinellas/Pasco/Hillsborough Counties, FL

Kessler.RMS purchased Total Wellness & Rehab in May of 2000. All functions transferred to the Lakeland Regional Office and I was retained to manage the four clinics for which I had previous responsibility, including three additional clinics locally and one in Jacksonville, NC

Responsibilities included all operational, budgetary and development aspects of the 8 clinics, including an aggressive plan to turn a losing region into a 30% profiting region in 2 years.

12/1999 –5/2000 CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Total Wellness & Rehab, Seminole, FL

Managed overall operations for a turnaround physical therapy organization of four clinics. Accepted the challenges of a failing billing system, Medicare compliance and review issues, and understaffing secondary to budgetary restrictions. Enhanced existing billing system, stabilized billing process and cash flow within first 90 days. Instituted a compliance plan passing HCFA survey. Organized managed care contracts and created educational billing guidelines for both the billing department and therapy staff. Normalized staffing (up-staffed) to accommodate both new and return visit volume appropriately, doubling new patient volume within the first 60 days. Began community outreach programs to market directly to consumers, using physicians as cross referral partners.

8/1999 – 12/1999 OUTPATIENT THERAPY CONSULTANT

Sarasota Therapy Center, Sarasota, FL

Contracted to analyze and improve point of service billing by therapists per payer. Increased net collections from Medicare by $25,000 per month by ensuring that therapist bills reflected all procedures performed. Enhanced Workers’ Comp and Managed Care billing by outlining contracts per payer for therapist education. Established weekly procedure detail report for ongoing assessment of per-payer statistics. Assessed community outreach and marketing strategies for improved return on investment. Established electronic tracking mechanisms for tracking and evaluating return on investments for marketing efforts. Lastly, began working with programming consultant to automate report writing and decrease double-data entry for management by statistics.

Business Development programs included the development and implementation of, and participation in community outreach programs for osteoarthritis, back pain and osteoporosis in conjunction with aquatic therapy services. Developed seminar outline and structure, performed community seminars and trained personnel to continue the seminar series. Developed print media and tracked reservations and conversions from seminars.

6/1997 – 8/1999 NATIONAL DIRECTOR, OUTPATIENT OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT

Select Medical Corporation, Inc, Clearwater, FL

Managed daily operations of local subsidiary (Sports & Orthopedic Rehabilitation Services) and held growth responsibilities for 22 freestanding outpatient clinic sites in five states, as well as a resource role for entire outpatient division, consisting of over 150 outpatient sites. Responsible for initial corporate policy and procedure initiation, as well as streamlining inefficiencies within individual sites. Responsible for field staff (therapists) as well as other departments within the corporate infrastructure. Established the first turnkey Key Performance Indicator Program, built into the billing system, to train clinician-managers regarding business vitals. Responsibilities also included purchasing, cost containment, staffing and new facility development. As of 8/99, the locally run division grossed $1.9 million, netting $1.0 million monthly

Developed and implemented community outreach programs for clinics to provide education on orthopedic related topics.

5/1991 – 6/1997 DIRECTOR, OUTPATIENT OPERATIONS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

RehabWorks, Inc./Florida Institute for P.T. , Clearwater, FL

Oversaw daily operations and marketing for 16 Florida-based outpatient rehab clinics. Successfully competed and dominated a market with a strong HealthSouth presence. Grew and branded dozens of local niches, including women’s health services through rehab, aggressive aquatic therapy programming, seminar programs with high conversion rates and enterprising marketing campaigns including the sponsorship of an orthopedic surgeon-driven professional race car. Traveled nationally implementing community outreach programs and seminar programs, including performing seminars and training staff.

RehabWorks was sold to HealthSouth in November of 1997.

Initially employed by Florida Institute for Physical Therapy (FIPT) in May of 1991 as an Exercise Physiologist/Program Coordinator. Carried out specific aspects of patient care plans for outpatient orthopedic-based patients. Performed regular marketing to local physicians. FIPT was purchased in 1993 by RehabWorks/Continental Medical Systems. My employment status remained and advanced as outlined above.

• LaSalle University Master’s Degree, Business Administration Concentration in Healthcare Management and Marketing – Mandeville, Louisiana
• Eckerd College Bachelor of Arts Degree, Human Development, Concentration in Holistic Health and Wellness – St. Petersburg, Florida
• Currently Pursuing Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification – Ontario, Canada
• CrossFit Level 2, South Tampa, Fl
• 13th Annual ISSN Sports Nutrition Conference
• USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach
• Cross Country Education Comprehensive Approach to Aging Confidently: Geriatric Posture, Core and Balance
• University of Tampa ISSN’s Macronutrient Manipulation and Training Strategies to Optimize Body Composition
• Reebok CrossFit One CrossFit Competitors Course – Boston, Massachusetts CrossFit Mobility Course
• CrossFit Kids Trainer Course
• St. Pete College Treating Runners: Running Mechanics, Common Injuries, Treatment and Training
• Poliquin Strength Institute Certified Biosignature Practitioner
• CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer Course
• CrossFit Weightlifting Trainer Course
• CrossFit Level 1 CrossFit Trainer/Coach Revalidated 2/2015
• American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer