Commitment to support the health and well-being of local communities is important, and doing so leads to strong bonds and relationships. Ryan and Amy Schulz, who founded Cherry City Chiropractic and the Salem Swim School, are doing just that.
Ryan and Amy founded Cherry City Chiropractic in 2016 and have been dedicated to caring for patients from all backgrounds ever since. “We are passionate about seeing a need and filling it,” says Amy. “[Ryan is] probably one of the only doctors in Salem that does what he does with spinal corrective care. Same thing for me. I’m one of the only ones in Salem who’s fully certified in prenatal and pediatric.” For both doctors, chiropractic care is about providing lifelong support, emphasizing nutrition and the body’s overall health.
Cherry City Chiropractic Finds Help From the Bank of the Pacific
A couple of years ago, Ryan and Amy sought a new location. One of their patients worked in commercial real estate and encouraged them to look at a building on Lancaster that had a lot of potential. As nice as it was, it had one major issue – half of the building included a pool with a maximum depth of four feet. They approached multiple banks, but many viewed the pool as a liability and declined to assist with the purchase.
Eventually, Ryan and Amy spoke to Kao Saephan, a local commercial banker at Bank of the Pacific. “One thing I love about Kao is that he makes things work, and he works hard for the client to make the situation doable and flexible and tenable,” says Ryan. Rather than seeing the pool as a barrier, Kao saw it as an opportunity.
For Kao, helping clients decide what their goals are is key. He works to help make them a reality. Because of Kao, many business owners have discovered they can own a building with a mortgage similar to their rent, making commercial real estate ownership feasible. “I don’t think I could have gotten the deal done without Bank of the Pacific because the other banks were not working with us the way they would,” says Ryan. “Kao and Bank of the Pacific made the deal possible.”
Recognizing the Need for Salem Swim School
With some creative thinking, Ryan and Amy saw an opportunity to repurpose the pool and launch a unique business new to the area. Salem Swim School was born. “Because of what Bank of the Pacific allowed us to do, it allowed us to create a whole other business,” says Ryan.
The Schulzs recognized it as a community need that they could fulfill. “We jokingly said we would start a swim school because I was frustrated with my experience around town, but the reason that we see so many kids is that there were also a lot of other families that felt the same,” says Amy.
Once they decided to start their new business, Ryan and Amy traveled around the country, visiting swim schools and connecting with others who had started similar businesses. They were dissatisfied with Salem’s swim lesson options, which were limited to gym-run programs requiring memberships and often only available in the summer. Salem Swim School would allow kids from around the area to have access to continuous lessons with small classes, well-trained adult instructors, and a reliable year-round schedule.
More Information About Salem Swim School
The school has already been an enormous success, with more than 600 kids taking lessons weekly at the pool, coming from as far away as Corvallis and Wilsonville. Kids from two months to 17 years old can learn to swim with weekly half-hour lessons.
Children ages 0-2 are divided into three groups by age and attend swim lessons with a parent present. At three years old, kids start swimming lessons on their own. The four-foot-deep pool is kept at 90 degrees year-round.
With plenty of determination and the help of Kao at Bank of the Pacific, Ryan and Amy have been able to both expand their clinic and start a business that fills an essential need for families and their community. Salem Swim School is open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., every weekday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Salem Swim School
685 36th Avenue NE, Salem
info@salemswimschool.com
971.273.1461
You can learn more about the Bank of the Pacific here.
Photo courtesy: Salem Swim School
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