Women in Business: Deborah Lechner - ErgoScience
For Deborah Lechner, the founder and president of ErgoScience, focusing on others is more than just good business; it’s how she personally defines success.
“Success for me is truly being able to serve others and to create a work environment where my employees can grow and learn,” she said. “We are in the business of preventing injuries whenever possible and helping folks recover when it’s not. So success is watching an employer’s injury rates go down or seeing our patients graduate from physical therapy in less pain and with better movement and function.”
Lechner’s background is in physical therapy, and she founded ErgoScience in 1992 after serving on the faculty at UAB. ErgoScience is a spin-off of research she conducted with her colleagues.
In practice, ErgoScience is like four companies in one:
► Physical therapy software and training: “We sell software and training [services] to physical and occupational therapists all over the world.”
► Testing for disability carriers: “We provide disability testing for 13 of the 15 largest disability insurance carriers.”
► Worksite injury prevention: “We help employers prevent injuries through pre-hire testing and ergonomics. And if injuries occur, we help injured workers get back to work as quickly as possible through our testing and worksite clinics.”
► Physical therapy in the Mountain Brook area: “We operate a physical therapy outpatient clinic just off Highway 280 where we treat all types of orthopedic injuries, regardless of whether they happen at home or work. Our goal with this clinic is to get everyone back to his/her own maximum function.”
These different aspects of the company provide a lot of variety.
“No two days are alike,” Lechner said. “My role in the company requires me to be constantly creative in addressing challenges and [finding] effective solutions for our clients.”
Lechner credits her creativity as well as her perseverance for getting her to the position she’s in today.
“It’s rare that you approach a challenge with the perfect solution the first time out of the gate,” she said. “Most of the time, there’s a good bit of trial and error involved. You have to keep developing creative solutions and refining them over time.”
In addition, she says that collaboration is critical. “Several heads are typically better than one, especially if you’re not the one executing the processes from day to day.” Leaning on others can also be a great way to get into or grow a business. “Get a good advisory board or group,” she advised, “folks with experience to guide you.”
Owning her own business and focusing on helping others can make balancing work and life a challenge. She takes a more flexible approach.
“I believe there is not one constant, optimal ratio of work to family or play [time],” Lechner said. “Sometimes work gets more. Other times, family and/or recreation takes a priority. Balance means constantly reevaluating your priorities and deciding which aspect of your life needs more attention at the moment.”
► WHERE: 201 Office Park Drive, Suite 150
► CALL: 278-2250
► WEBSITE: https://www.ergoscience.com/
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