Former Ridgefield Physical Therapy Owner Pete Bartel sits at his office desk during a celebration of his retirement. Bartel has a career in physical therapy spanning more than four decades, with the Ridgefield practice being established in 2007.
A Ridgefield physical therapist with a longstanding family history in the city is hanging up his medical jacket as Ridgefield Physical Therapy has changed ownership following the retirement of its former owner Pete Bartel.
On July 1, ownership officially changed from Bartel to a three-person partnership consisting of two individuals with experience in the city. The partnership of Deborah Lehner Warner, Josh Laughlin and Kahn Khabra has been operating the business located off of South 56th Place for a little over two weeks.
The change of ownership comes with the retirement of Bartel, who started the office in 2007. Bartel’s career in physical therapy stretches back more than four decades, working for what would become PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center as well Kaiser Home Health before starting his own practice, Battle Ground Physical Therapy, in 1987.
Bartel said when he had the opportunity to start his own practice, Ridgefield was too small to be able to support it, hence the choice of Battle Ground. About 20 years later, with Ridgefield’s population growing, the opportunity to set up shop closer to home was available, with Bartel opening up an office there.
Running two offices became a bit of a strain, so Bartel eventually sold off the Battle Ground office to Shannon Schram and Lehner Warner, the same individual who will now be one of the partners of the Ridgefield location.
Bartel said both Lehner Warner and Schram had heard Bartel speak about the career back when they were in high school.
“Probably the most rewarding thing is seeing some of the students I had volunteering in high school who went on to become physical therapists,” Bartel remarked.
Two of the three partners who bought the business have a connection to Ridgefield, as Bartel said Lehner Warner grew up on a dairy farm in the city. Laughlin is a Ridgefield resident himself.
Although lack of passion for the practice wasn’t the reason, Bartel said a few factors such as a changing industry and jumping through regulatory hoops made it a good time to quit.
“I love being a therapist and treating people, but fighting through insurance and the regulations … it’s just more and more time trying to get approval to treat patients instead of actually just treating them,” Bartel said.
On the new owners’ side of things, Laughlin had most recently served as the outpatient therapy coordinator at PeaceHealth before joining the partnership. Going to a new office outside of Vancouver was a plus for the move.
“It was really good to get back into the more hometown feel,” Laughlin said.
Though Laughlin was back east when Bartel was doing his school appearances, much like Lehner Warner, Laughlin’s experiences with Bartel made continuing his legacy another highlight of taking over the business.
“I was really excited and honored to be a part of it. I’ve known Pete pretty much since I’ve been here in Ridgefield,” Laughlin said. “I’ve always enjoyed working with him in that sense, and so taking on his business is great.”
“It worked out nicely for everybody. They’ve got a business they can build and I’ve got some free time to be with grandkids,” Bartel said.
In retirement, Bartel has been enjoying the change in lifestyle, finishing home projects around and “being a grandpa full time.”
“It doesn’t pay much, but it’s a great job,” Bartel said.
In some cases, the odds and ends outside of physical therapy have kept him far from resigned, even after selling the business.
“The difference between retirement and working is when I was working, I had time to read the paper every night, and now I don’t have time,” Bartel remarked.
Looking to the future, Bartel has entertained a few possibilities following a break from physical therapy. Volunteering efforts at free clinics, physical therapy trips to Haiti and even the possibility of writing a book, either about the practice or simply something for his family.
“I’ll be doing some writing of some sort,” Bartel said.
Although his name is no longer listed as Ridgefield Physical Therapy’s owner, Bartel himself isn’t planning on going anywhere from his ancestral home. The Bartels have been in the area since roughly the 1870s. The original Bartel homestead, is now the site of family homes and recently the beginning of a school and sports complex for the Ridgefield School District.
“My family’s been here way too long,” Bartel remarked.
