Small Business of the Year finalist: Kilgore’s Respiratory Services

Licensed respiratory therapist Kelly Bietsch always knew she needed more from her career than working for someone else. So when the opportunity arose in 2003 for Kelly and her husband, Fred Bietsch, to open a respiratory center, they jumped at the chance.

They started in the Chapel Hill location of Kilgore’s Pharmacy, which is owned by Kelly’s brother and several others, followed by a small office at the pharmacy’s Providence location. Their current office on West Broadway opened in 2007.

Kelly, Fred and their 17 employees specialize in breathing and respiratory problems. From education, to sleep apnea screenings, to setting clients up with necessary devices, Kelly says they pride themselves on being there for clients throughout the entire process. She credits this approach with making them the preferred respiratory clinic among doctors. “If they send patients to us, they know they’ll be taken care of,” she says.

To provide such scope and quality of service, Kelly says a business owner needs to be all in. “If you sign up to be a small-business owner, that’s what you’re signing up for,” Kelly says. “It bleeds into every facet of your life, but in the end, you are building something you’re proud of.”