By Cobilynn Rogers
For The Cordova Times
Business Spotlight is an ongoing series of local business profiles contributed by the Cordova Chamber of Commerce. This Business Spotlight features an interview with Shelly Kocan, owner of Acupuncture & Wellness of Cordova.
What year was the business founded?
Acupuncture & Wellness of Cordova was founded in 2015. I began offering acupuncture in Cordova in 2011 at Ilanka Community Health Center and then left to start my own business after the birth of our first daughter in 2014.
How has the business changed over the years?
Initially, the business was a part-time, solo endeavor, I was providing acupuncture treatments out of one room on Second Street. From there we grew to add another treatment room, then in 2018 I was able to hire an additional provider, Catherine Herschleb, L.Ac., and that allowed us to expand our hours and increase our availability to five days per week year-round. In 2019 Renee Lindow, R.N., joined us as an administrative assistant. She’s a great asset to the business and helps with patient communication and new patient onboarding, though she will be leaving us this summer for new ventures.
This March we had our biggest change with the move to our new location! This has been in the works for quite some time and I’m delighted it’s finally come to fruition. We did a build-out of our new space and focused on improving the patient experience as we designed it. To ensure greater privacy for our patients we put in a triple layer of drywall, sound barrier, solid core doors and insulated the ceiling to help muffle noise. We invested in brand-new ADA compliant electric tables to make acupuncture accessible for everyone, no matter their level of pain or challenges with mobility. The new space is decorated in calming colors and features local artwork, and hopefully is an easy place for people to relax.
What are some new items or offerings you’re excited about?
I’m mostly excited about our new space, patients are enjoying it, it feels fresh and professional. I’ve also been offering more evening appointments to meet everyone’s scheduling needs. We’re also keeping a handful of self-care products and professional-grade supplements available for purchase.
How does your business impact the community of Cordova?
We offer a unique health care modality to the community. We are a non-pharmaceutical approach to pain management and injury recovery while also focusing on building health and well-being. We have worked with over 450 community members over the last six years and we provide around 1,500 patient visits annually. We love collaborating with providers at CCMC, Ilanka Community Health Center, and Northstar Alignment to create a more integrative approach to healthcare. We also work with the VA and NVE, giving Veterans and Tribal Beneficiaries access to health care at no cost to them.
Cobilynn Rogers is a business support specialist at the Cordova Chamber of Commerce.
