Shelton Business Spotlight: LifeDesigns ReAbility Center

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series we’ve kicked off at Patch — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: LifeDesigns ReAbility Center
Owners: Tad Duni
Website: www.lifedesignfitness.com
Address: 18 Center St Shelton

How did you come up with the name?

The original name was Life Design Systems, founded in 1984. Over the many years I developed a strong reputation and a niche expertise with people with moderate to severe brain and spinal cord injury and diseases, helping them maintain optimal mobility and wellness.

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?

I was living in Bridgeport. I did some market research in 1983 and discovered that Shelton was the fastest growing Small City in New England due to loss of BF Goodrich and the States interests in investing in bringing the great numbers of corporate upstarts like Philips Medical and Richardson Vicks to Shelton. My other expertise then was in Corporate Fitness so I thought combining Corporate consulting with my own business would help with success.

Briefly, what business are you in?

Non-medical chronic illness prevention and management

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

People telling me from 1982 to the present that what I am doing is a great cause but not worth all my efforts and that I could never be successful in the Valley.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?

Never! As a graduate of Columbia University School of Movement Sciences in 1981, I had privileged access to public health data that clearly stated then that because of the coming epidemics of obesity, diabetes and an aging population every community in America will need non-medical facilities that used simple but effective activity therapies made accessible and affordable year round. Without these centers the direct and indirect costs of these epidemics would bankrupt America’s entitlement programs; Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security as well as the VA health delivery system.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?

Building and re-building people and offices. I have had to re-define my self and my space over 10 times in 31 years to stay in business and continue with my mission and vision of helping people with moderate to severe brain and spinal cord injury remain independent in their community.

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?

The idea that passionate and highly motivated people who themselves have learning or physical disabilities can be trained to be very effective non-medical technicians to provide ill or injured people year round access to simple but powerfully effective and safe activity therapies overseen by a highly trained person as myself. This keeps a cash visit to as little as $37 for a 2-3 hour visit, which for most people with chronic illness or injuries is needed for progress to be seen in their medical status.

How do you deal with difficult customers?

All my customers have moderate to severe disabilities. Their being difficult is most often the result of medicines being off or not been taken or just the general anxiety of loosing one’s ability to walk, drive or enjoy the simple things in life after their illness or trauma. People, in general, do not like change. Imagine if everything in your life changed in one minute after a stroke or spinal cord injury! You have to have extreme patience with these folks, a complete understanding of the complex nature of adult-onset disability and the fundamental belief that all people mean well but have flaws like all of us do.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?

I founded a non-profit 5 years ago call MovingwithHope (Health Oriented Physical Education). The mission of the Non-profit (NPO) is to provide financial scholarships to survivors of brain and spinal cord injury and diseases for them to receive year round access to activity therapies. The average scholarship is about $135 per month for 15-20 people. We would like to double the number of people we serve with scholarships and the amount per month. Currently the NPO is having it’s major fundraiser on 9/6, the Down By The River BikeForHOPE and Music Festival. We hope to raise not just money but awareness of the essential need of what LifeDesigns is doing for it’s community. The NPO also gets several annual grants and in-kind donations from many other NPO’s.