OUR MISSION
To do whatever it takes to help people with paralysis regain their independence and personal confidence in who they are.
OUR NAME
"The Perfect Step" is the figurative first step a person takes when they decide to begin their journey to recovery. It’s that one single step in the right direction that will make all the difference.
While we know that the road to recovery is long, no one can decide to take that step in the right direction for you. It can be incredibly scary to hope again or to set goals you don’t know if you can reach. But once you do decide to take that critical first step, we believe that we have the staff, knowledge, acumen, tools, and the equipment to assist you down that road and continue those steps forward in your recovery.
But you and only you can take that first step - so what are you waiting for? Now is the time to take your perfect step and change your life.
PARTNERS THAT MAKE TPS POSSIBLE
The Be Perfect Foundation
The Be Perfect Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that provides direct financial and emotional aid to individuals living with paralysis. The financial support Be Perfect provides helps pay for the cost of therapy, purchase medical necessities, and providing guidance and emotional support.
history
JULY 2007
In the middle of the desert on a dark interstate highway, several fire trucks arrive on the scene of a semi-truck that has lost control and flipped four times. Inside the cab is 17 year-old Hal Hargrave Jr. who would soon be told by doctors he had broken his neck, scapula, and a fractured T1-2 vertebrae. The main damage was sustained at the cervical 5/6 vertebrae, which bursted into his spinal cord, giving Hal a spinal cord injury.
Sept 2007
Mike Alpert, CEO of a local health club & wellness center The Claremont Club, visits Hal in the hospital and offers to convert one of the club's racquetball courts into a small adapted gym so Hal could work out. Hal, who was still recovering from his own spinal cord injury, soon invites over 20 injured people all needing the same type of therapy to join him at the Club.
OCT 2007
Hal, Mike and the Hargrave family realize there is a need to offer more client hours and add trainers. So three of the Claremont Club's trainers head to the world-renowned spinal cord injury facility, Project Walk in Carlsbad, California to get trained in the Dardzinski method and become official Recovery Specialists.
2013
Hal approaches Mike with the idea of expanding the operation beyond the 17 clients they currently served, and opening the doors of the first ever Project Walk franchise. Mike was supportive and even offered to expand his small gym from 700 square feet into a larger 3000 square foot space on the campus of the Claremont Club.
2014
With this successful treatment facilitated by Tanya Slusser, a previous trainer of ours, we begin to explore how our methodology might benefit clients suffering from ALS, PLS, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, and other forms of chronic illnesses. Today we treat 30+ clients who live with these ailments.
2015
Our trainer, Tanya Slusser is recognized as world trainer of the year by Club Industry for her creative approach to working with a client Mike Alpert knew who was diagnosed with ALS.
2017
The center completes another major expansion and is renamed, The Perfect Step. With 7000 square feet of space, it now has the capacity to treat up to 150 clients and includes two new office spaces for future endeavors such as massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractor services, and psychological services.
2019
The Perfect Step began engagement in a multi-year IRB Approved Medical Research Study conducted by Kaiser Permanente at The Perfect Step. The purpose is to measure quality of life and reduction of secondary complications using our methodology and "patterned neural activity recruitment” which will help fight for legislative reform and third party reimbursement for programs like ours so people living with paralysis can live their healthiest richest lives.
We also began to look for opportunities to duplicate our model and success across the country by partnering with franchise owners that want to open a TPS facility themselves and provide an incredible service with incredible outcomes.
2020
2020 like for the rest of the world was a year of uncertainty and continuous pivoting. In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, The Perfect Step had to find continuous ways to pivot to not only remain open to our clients, but even find a solution to the closing of our previous location of 13 years at The Claremont Club. After careful deliberation, we opted to settle on a new location just a few miles away from where we were previously at a brand-new 7000 square-foot location in Pomona, California. A very uncertain year, culminated with much stability and a newfound energy among staff and clients inside the new digs.
2021
2024
The Perfect Step has never been better equipped to move in a direction of internal and external growth. Our current 7000 square-foot facility gives us the ability to continue to expand our square footage footprint and to bring in other ancillary services on-site in the form of mental health therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture based services. Additionally, our state-of-the-art infrastructure allows for further space for education, training, and internal infrastructure to grow our brand outside of our four walls in Pomona. With this stable infrastructure, we are looking to expand our services to other major regions across the country, so we can continue our mission of serving those in the paralysis community and other areas.
The Perfect Step has made significant strides over the past several years, culminating in an extensive expansion of our flagship location in Pomona, now spanning over 23,000 square feet. This growth has allowed us to enhance our facilities comprehensively, including the addition of a Learning Center, medical office space for future integration with the medical community, a study office space, and a green room/recording studio for our podcast and virtual content offerings.
Our upgraded facilities also feature more shared spaces, a fitness center for our clients' family members and loved ones, and a multipurpose studio for inclusive programs like yoga and cycling classes. Additionally, we have established a Recovery Studio equipped with a multidisciplinary technological approach, including a hyperbaric chamber, sauna, water massage therapy, red light therapy, Beamer technology, NanoVi technology, and inflammation sleep technology.
Beyond our physical expansion, we have achieved significant milestones in research, legislative advocacy, and community engagement. We have conducted multiple in-house studies and actively worked on healthcare reform at the congressional level, aiming to secure reimbursement for our clients in the chronic stage of recovery. Our onsite collaborative "Life Series" community events have fostered connection and support, and our red carpet events have highlighted our clients' inspiring stories.
We have also launched a digital content platform, reformed our training and certification program, and introduced a continued education units component, striving to set the national standard for chronic care paralysis recovery domestically. Our mission remains steadfast as we continue to serve and empower those in the paralysis community and beyond.