Wilmington Chiropractor Knows that to Get Ahead, You Need to Give Back

Early in his college career, Dr. Rhett King '03 knew he wanted to be a physician. Deciding to open his chiropractic office in Wilmington, where he was raised, was an easy choice. But, that's about the only thing that was easy.

"Competition in Wilmington is fierce with physicians of all types on nearly every corner," said Dr. King. "I realized that I was going to have to find a niche fast and that I would have to get results quickly while building tremendous value for my patients."

And that is exactly what he's done, in his office, in his community and with his alma mater.

"I learned early that a business owner only has three spendable resources: time, money and energy. If you don't have lots of money then you spend what you have, which for me was lots of free time and energy to invest into my practice," he said.

When he first opened King Chiropractic, Dr. King worked at health fairs, charity events, area races and health talks to build referrals for his business. He also began an active adult group called the Wilmington Health Nuts on Meetup, an online network of local groups.

Originally started as "a way to educate my patients about exercise and fitness," the group was eventually opened to the public and is now the largest Meetup in Wilmington.

"We provide businesses with members to take their classes while allowing group members to try something new," says Dr. Rhett.

While helping to promote area businesses, Dr. King successfully helped provide fitness opportunities to hundreds of people.  His patients are mainly area athletes and he's established a referral network with other providers.

Along with continuing his volunteer work and charity events, Dr. King understands the importance of supporting his alma mater.

"I had no idea that a significant portion of the school's funding for my education came from donor gifts instead of tuition. The best way that we can ensure that the school continues to offer programs that increase the value of our education is to give back."