Great Steps Orthotic & Prosthetic Solutions

John and Kristie Held, co-owners of Great Steps Orthotics and Prosthetic Solutions, operate a state-of-the-art-facility, providing orthotic and prosthetic devices to tens of thousands of patients throughout the Central Minnesota Area.  Fabricating over half of the custom devices within their on-site technical workshops, John and Kristie strive to provide patient focused, quality care.

How it all began:

John discovered his passion for Orthotics and Prosthetics during his senior year at Concordia College, Moorhead.  John, a biology major interested in the health care field, met Davin Hyde, developer of the Oklahoma Joint and now a continued innovator of orthotic devices at Brace Masters, who shared his love for Orthotics and Prosthetics.

John, ’87 Concordia graduate moved to the Twin Cities to pursue his career in Orthotics & Prosthetics at Century College in White Bear Lake.  John completed his 1-year residency at Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota and became a certified Orthotist in 1989.

When John met Kristie:

John’s first job as an Orthotist was at Dakota Hospital in Fargo, ND. Not being from the Fargo, ND area and being his charismatic self, he decided to go around his apartment complex to see if he could meet some people.  He ended up knocking on Kristie’s door.  Kristie was apprehensive about meeting this stranger at first, but over time grew to love him throughout their 2 years of dating. John proposed on his birthday in 1992 and surprisingly (according to John’s friends) Kristie said, “YES!”  They were married shortly thereafter and now share 3 beautiful kids together.

Innovation at its finest:

While at Dakota Hospital, John’s passion for working with children and athletes along with his love for Orthotics spurred his innovative spirit.  After hours, he collaborated with Dr. Johnson, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Dakota Hospital, to create the ‘Ultimate Ankle’.  This device was fabricated to help people with injured ankles walk and run again in a timeframe others might not think would be possible. John’s ‘Ultimate Ankle’ even allowed Minnesota Vikings Professional Football players to get out onto the field again in such a short amount of time that the brace baffled sports media producers and fans! The Ultimate Ankle was bought out by Bledsoe and can now be provided to patients at any Orthotic Facility.

John accepted a new Orthotic position at NovaCare (which was later bought out by Hangar) in St. Cloud, MN in 1997.  John enjoyed spending time with his co-workers here in St. Cloud both on and off the clock.  In conversation, they discussed their dream of starting their own Orthotic and Prosthetic practice some day.

Entrepreneurship:

John knew some day he was destined to go out on his own. Shortly after Kristie’s aunt, Jeannie Shogren, passed away in 1999 from breast cancer, John and Kristie decided that the best way to honor Kristie’s aunt would be to use the inheritance money they received to start their own Orthotics & Prosthetics business and help those in need. This money, along with financial contributions from business partner, Dan Tysver, CPO, provided them with enough time to make the appropriate steps to becoming entrepreneurs.

In the summer of 2000, John gave his 30-day notice at NovaCare and Kristie decided to quit her job at Granite City.  With three young children, no income and no insurance, John and Kristie took a leap of faith and decided they would start Great Steps Orthotic & Prosthetic Solutions.

Although people told John he was ‘so out in left field that he was not even in the stadium’, he was determined and continued to pursue his dream.  These comments galvanized John and pushed him to prove these people wrong.  The catalyst to his determination was when John met with William (Bill) or Tom Eickhoff from Plaza Park Bank.  Bill or Tom believed in John’s dream and knew that he would go on to do great things. Plaza Park Bank loaned John, Kristie and Dan the money to build the practice and Great Steps O&P Solutions opened in September of 2000 in the CentraSota building on Veterans Drive in St. Cloud, MN.  

To this day, John and Kristie are grateful for the support and encouragement they received from Plaza Park Bank. Without them, their dreams of owning their own business would not have become a reality.  Great Steps continues to have a great working relationship with Plaza Park Bank and more specifically with bank representative, Jim Schlepper.

Great Steps now cares for and employs 20 people and over the years, they have touched more than 20,000 patient’s lives. The last 13 years have involved many additions, moves and changes; however, the heart of the business still holds true to its foundation and original purpose for opening: …to create a patient focused place for friends and families in the Central Minnesota area to come to and receive quality and effective orthotic and prosthetic care.

Moral of the Story? NEVER TELL JOHN HE CAN'T ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING!