Pediatric brace specialist establishes orthotic business

By Roger Meissen From MissouriBusiness.net


Samuel Fender flashed a big smile at orthotist Lynne Snyder as she fitted the 4-year-old with new leg braces decorated with race cars. Samuel’s quadriplegic cerebral palsy causes contractures that, without braces, could shorten his muscles to the point that he would need surgery.

Snyder creates orthotic leg and body braces for children such as Samuel. She started her Columbia-based business last June because she saw a need and an opportunity.
“A lot of the children’s families were traveling outside the area to receive their braces, and traveling in this difficult economy just wasn’t really an option,” Snyder said.
Snyder Brace Inc. is the only brace business in mid-Missouri that caters to children, she said.
“I was terrified having never really owned or ran a business of my own before,” she said. “I know my business, but I didn’t know business.”
Snyder turned to University of Missouri Extension’s Small Business and Technology Development Centers for help.
“Having someone partner with me — with the resources and expertise to make it a reality — was a lifesaver,” she said.
MU Business Development Specialist Virgil Woolridge counseled Snyder on leasing her office, helped with her business plan and was just a phone call away when new hurdles presented themselves.
“We know that starting a business is a risky venture, so people like Lynne have to go in with all the information possible to make the right decision,” Woolridge said. “My job is not to tell someone to go into business or not go into business but rather to sit down with each person, analyze the situation and let them make the decision.”
Woolridge noted that 80 percent of new job growth in Missouri comes from small businesses and said that the hard economic times can offer opportunities for business.
“A lot of the data indicates that a downturn like this can be a very good time to start a business,” he said. “Particularly if you are an individual who lost your job or was laid off, this might be an excellent time to actually start your business.”
SBTDC specialists serve clients throughout the state and provide counseling at no charge to new and existing businesses. The centers also offer workshops in different areas for a small fee.
For Snyder, the rewards go beyond getting her business off to a solid start.

“Taking (children) who would not otherwise be able to stand and helping them walk is amazing,” she said. “I know children who ice skate, who roller skate and, without the braces, would otherwise not have that opportunity. Seeing the tears of joy in their eyes and parents’ eyes is why I do this.”
Because of her entrepreneurial success, Snyder’s firm was among 19 small businesses from around the state that participated in the Missouri SBTDC/PTAC Client Showcase on Jan. 27 in Jefferson City. Successful entrepreneurs told state legislators of their firms’ contributions to Missouri’s economic and job development.
Roger Meissen is a senior information specialist for the MU Extension Cooperative Media Group.