It sounds a little like the premise of a family sitcom.
A family of chiropractors (and one rebel reconstructive dentist) set up practice together in their hometown. Let’s say it’s a father and his three sons, all working together in a building constructed by a daughter and her husband.
Now let’s say the mother is the office manager. And office staff includes a grandmother, two of the sons’ wives and one wife’s mother.
Sounds too contrived for TV, you say? Don’t be so sure. This sitcom would be based on a true story — one unfolding in a stylish new building on Rucker Avenue in Everett.
William Schmidt (better known as Bill) entered his 43rd year as a chiropractor serving Everett in January, just one month after the Schmidt Family Health Center opened its doors.
He works alongside his two chiropractor sons, Bill Jr. and Robb, on the ground floor of the newly opened center. The top floor is the domain of youngest son Kyle Schmidt, who specializes in esthetic and reconstructive dentistry.
“It was kind of my dream to have them working in a building like this,” said Bill Sr. “And our son-in-law was able to build it for us.”
The building, a modern, clean-cut structure that stands out on Rucker, was built by Rogge Construction, owned by Bill Jr.’s twin, Brenda, and her husband, Mark.
Construction — like everything else at the center — was a family affair.
Kyle worked with architects to design the center, drawing inspiration from structures in Seattle and Bellevue. And the whole family — grandchildren and in-laws included — helped demolish the rental properties that previously occupied the land, and then landscape, paint, lay hardwood floors and decorate.
Schmidt Family Chiropractic, formerly housed in the Evergreen Way QFC shopping center several blocks from the new building, has been an Everett entity since 1997 — back when it was just both Bill Schmidts. Robb joined them seven years ago, finding his way back to the family business after majoring in pre-med at Seattle University.
The addition of Kyle’s dental practice and the newly finished building marks a lifetime zenith for Bill Schmidt Sr. He recalls a moment about a month ago, sitting in the small upstairs kitchen with his three sons — the moment he realized he was living out a long-standing wish: working with all of his boys.
“It was just a dream — I never thought it would happen,” he said.
Schmidt matriarch Susie manages the office. And the staff includes Bill Jr.’s and Kyle’s wives, Kim and Mikala, along with Susie’s and Mikala’s mothers.
Working with family has its perks.
For starters, there’s the free lunch Bill Sr. makes every day. And the grandchildren (Bill Sr. and Susie have nine) congregate in one of the building’s back rooms after school to play and work on homework.
Of course, there’s a more obvious upside, too.
“Well, you never get fired,” Robb Schmidt joked.
Susie Schmidt cautiously calls the family-run health center “a test.” But she and Bill Sr. have no plans to retire, and are already making plans for the next generation of Schmidt Family Health Center professionals.
Of the nine grandchildren — the youngest of whom often snoozes in a crib tucked in the corner of Kyle Schmidt’s office — three have already announced plans to become dentists.
Their grandparents are convinced there’s a chiropractor or two in the bunch, too.
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