- Words by Lauren Cramer Photography by Lia Crowe
Owning your own business can seem glamorous to outsiders.
Visit Brandt Fralick91裸聊视频檚 24,000-square-foot health centre in Kelowna and you might be dazzled by what it offers. PRIME is a multi-disciplinary integrated health, fitness, medical, pharmaceutical, musculoskeletal health, rehab and functional movement facility. It buzzes with nearly 70 practitioners and support staff, among them family doctors, specialists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, kinesiologists, occupational health and rehab experts, athletic coaches, personal trainers and nutrition consultants, and serves over 45,000 members of the community.
At its helm sits Brandt, 36, the driving force behind PRIME. He has an impressive number of accolades, including being named a Top 40 Under 40 businessperson of the year twice by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, and being nominated for awards for small- and medium-sized business of the year in his region. PRIME was awarded the Consumers Choice Award in three of the last four years, and last year the Canadian Business Review Board designated PRIME as one of the best businesses in Canada.
The path to reach this point was anything but easy, though, and it91裸聊视频檚 a message Brandt wants readers to understand. He91裸聊视频檇 planned a completely different trajectory for his life, when one day, in 2007, everything changed.
Brandt, a Kelowna native, became an avid sprinter at the age of nine after watching Donovan Bailey sprint for Canada in the 1996 Olympic Games. Inspired and determined, he qualified to the World Juniors (U20) in 2003 to represent Canada as a member of the sprints and relays team, and continued to compete for Canada in the European circuit after graduating from Kelowna Secondary School in 2004.
On November 27, 2007, the 19-year-old was in the peak of his health and gearing up for the 2008 Olympic season. He was driving the Coquihalla highway from Vancouver to Kelowna to visit his family when a car accident sent his vehicle on a 200-foot downhill spiral over the hillside. Miraculously, he survived the fall. With a burst fracture in his lumbar spine and a sequestered L4 and L5 disc, he somehow found the strength to crawl through four feet of snow back up to the road, where he was found by an off-duty member of a local search and rescue team.
After a week of hospitalization following surgery to repair his ruptured spine, Brandt was told he91裸聊视频檇 likely live in chronic pain and walk with a limp for the rest of his life.
91裸聊视频淚 had to accept that this was my new normal and figure out how I91裸聊视频檇 carry on,91裸聊视频� he said.
Brandt relearned how to walk and eventually started training through his pain in hopes of competing again. He worked with a team of medical practitioners, rehab specialists and physiotherapists daily, and in August 2009 he competed at the Canada Games in Prince Edward Island.
One year later, he lost his father to a battle with cancer.
91裸聊视频淚t was a lot to go through as a young man,91裸聊视频� he reflected. 91裸聊视频淔irst to have that extreme high as an athlete, and then after the accident, wondering what I could possibly give the world that held any value. Then losing my father91裸聊视频� I had to try to rebuild and redefine myself.91裸聊视频�
In 2008, Brandt formed Nitro Velocity, an athletic performance company where he built his brand and personally coached over 2,500 athletes from a wide range of sports, helping them compete at every level from developmental, amateur, collegiate, semi-pro to professional.
The 20-hour workdays were a pleasant distraction from the physical pain that haunted Brandt daily, as well as the emotional pain from the loss of his father.
91裸聊视频淭he pain pushed me to extraordinary heights and allowed me an ability to hyper-focus on helping people as much as possible,91裸聊视频� he recalled. 91裸聊视频淚 thought, if I gave up my life to help others, I would be giving value to the life I still have and nearly lost in my car accident.91裸聊视频�
As Nitro continued to grow, Brandt began working towards opening a small integrated health facility. In 2014, he opened in his first location, rebranded as PRIME. It consisted of a small gym and physiotherapy clinic offering sports medicine, physiotherapy, kinesiology, athletic training and small group-fitness classes. His goal was to treat as many people as possible through collaborative and integrated health care, in the same way others had helped him in regaining his physical health.
By 2016, he began drafting designs for a new facility that would become one of the largest privately owned, integrated health care clinics in Canada, and within three years it became a reality. In August 2019, PRIME opened its new space, consisting of a family medical practice and walk-in clinic, physiotherapy and sports medicine services, a pharmacy and gym.
COVID-19 came months later, and unlike many other businesses, PRIME did not qualify for government support or additional bank loans through the mandated closures. That forced Brandt to near bankruptcy in the first several months of being open. Turning to alternative lenders at over 30 per cent interest rates, he says it was a deeply stressful period in his life, and one devoid of any glamour.
91裸聊视频淧RIME had a waitlist of over 20,000 people for our family physicians, so I couldn91裸聊视频檛 just walk away from the path I was on. I had promises to keep,91裸聊视频� he recalls. 91裸聊视频淣ot only was there immense financial obligation, but I was also carrying the weight from the demands and commitments I made to physicians, physiotherapists and employees, as well as thousands of residents of the community. It was beyond overwhelming.91裸聊视频�
He adds: 91裸聊视频淚 got lost in this monster, trying to survive in business, and it91裸聊视频檚 been an incredibly lonely journey with a huge personal toll.91裸聊视频� He credits his friend and employee, Tamara, for helping him tremendously for four years, noting, 91裸聊视频淚 will be forever grateful for all she did.91裸聊视频�
He also attributes his strength to persevere through these times to his long-time friend Melani McBratney.
91裸聊视频淪he was the single pillar holding me together at times. PRIME provides health care to over 45,000 residents of Kelowna today because of the emotional support and strength she gave me to continue to push day after day.91裸聊视频�
Over the past several months, Brandt has been forced to acknowledge the true personal cost of achieving his dream and has regrouped and reflected on his future priorities. With the support of his team at PRIME, he is learning to restructure portions of his company, providing more time for his next chapter in life.
91裸聊视频淚 boarded this train because I wanted to leave a legacy. I wanted to impact my community in a way that would exceed my lifetime,91裸聊视频� he reflected. 91裸聊视频淏ut along the way, I made many mistakes. I pushed away the person I love most and thought I would have for my lifetime and consequently, some of the other people who truly matter most in my world to me.91裸聊视频�
Now, he adds, he wants to make the most of his time with the people he loves, and he91裸聊视频檚 dedicated this new-found perspective on his life and future to a special woman, who he says he91裸聊视频檒l always hold cherished in his heart.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 ready to evolve in my life and learn what the next chapter holds for me. I91裸聊视频檓 incredibly proud of PRIME and what I91裸聊视频檝e created in terms of integrated health, and we will keep expanding and providing more services over the years to come. There are massive things on our horizon.91裸聊视频�
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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