By the time the practice was ready to open, Schneider had a good base of clients, some of whom are still patients of his to this day. Still, it took two years for the practice to grow to the point where Schneider’s wife could finally move to North Carolina to join him.

The Schneiders settled into the area and welcomed daughter Alexandra, now 7, to the family. But Schneider wanted to do more for the community than just run a business. Within the first year of opening, he held a food drive during the Thanksgiving holidays and a toy drive for Christmas, giving the donated items to needy families in the area. The drives have since become annual events for the practice, “There are certain things I think are important, like the food drive,” said Schneider. “I feel like the community supports us, so we should support the community.”

Schneider has found other ways to get involved as well. At a time when the only businesses in the 40/42 area included Peddler’s Village, McDonald’s, Food Lion and some gas stations, he and other residents became interested in starting up a Chamber of Commerce.  Schneider recalled when a he and handful of business owners gathered at the old Huddle House and tossed around the idea. The Greater Cleveland Business Association was formed, an organization that eventually developed into the Greater Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, which now has over 300 members.

As for the secret to his success, Schneider doesn’t think it’s a secret at all.

“We just work hard, get involved with the community and show them we care and strive to provide a quality level of care for our patients,” he said. “And I’m very fortunate to have an excellent staff. When patients come into our practice, they really make them feel like they’re our extended family.”

Schneider has spent the past decade living by a motto that he had painted on a wall in the practice’s waiting room: “My mission is to help as many people as I can in my lifetime…especially children.”

Schneider has been treating his own daughter for six years, and she’s never needed an antibiotic. For her and his other patients, Schneider said chiropractic treatment is key to sustaining a healthy body. And while some prospective clients might cringe of the thought of having bones cracked and joints popped, Schneider’s methods are much gentler.

“When I sit down with a patient, I don’t look at them as a neck or a back pain – I see them as a whole person,” he said. “My methods don’t involved forceful adjusting or twisting of the spine. I use an approach that’s very comfortable and gentle. As a result, no one’s nervous about getting treatment from this office – we get everyone from kids to pregnant women to big burly guys.”

Even as he takes the time to commemorate his milestone of 10 years in Cleveland and 25 years in practice, Schneider isn’t ready to sit back and relax just yet.

“We’ve accomplished a lot of things, but there are still a lot of sick people out there,” he said. “I just really hope that we can get the message out about what chiropractic is all about, and that’s helping people to live better lives.”

In reflecting over the past decade, there’s one thing in particular that he’s enjoyed the most.

“The people I’ve met – they’ve been the best part about it,” he said. “My patients are just great to work with. I feel very blessed to have a great staff and a great family. This has just been a great experience. We love our patients and we appreciate them, and hopefully we’ll be around for another ten years.”

Schneider Chiropractic is located at 81 Glen Road. The office can be reached at 661-2225, and more information can be found on their web site at www.4042back.com.

Cleveland’s first chiropractic office recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Schneider Chiropractic first opened its doors in August of 1998, and for the past decade, Dr. Bruce Schneider has been offering residents quality chiropractic care, providing leadership in the community and giving back to those in need.

The office planned a day to celebrate the occasion, with refreshments for patients and a party-like atmosphere. Office staff spent the morning preparing for the onslaught of patients that would be arriving that afternoon.

Watching the busy efficiency of the practice, it’s hard to imagine that Schneider’s beginnings in Cleveland didn’t get off to the smoothest start.

Schneider, who previously had a practice in Connecticut for 15 years, found this area when he was looking for a new place to settle.

“I was looking for ideas of where to practice, and I met with a fellow in Cleveland who thought this area was really going to take off and would be a great place to open a business,” said Schneider. “I’d always wanted to bring chiropractic to a place that didn’t have any. It was a gamble, but it paid off.”

Except when Schneider arrived to settle into his new office, there was none – only a dirt floor, three cement walls and a roof. Disappointed but not deterred, Schneider spent the nine months it took to complete the office going door to door in the community, visiting 300 homes and businesses in that time.