Pryde Athletics & Physical Therapy opens new facility in Northville
Pryde Athletics & Physical Therapy Founder and CEO Ivan Ankwatsa is pictured inside the business’s recently-opened facility in Northville Township. IVAN ANKWATSA
Canton resident Ivan Ankwatsa is on a marvelous mission to make people healthy and happy.
And by people, we’re talking everyone from able-bodied young athletes to individuals who have suffered traumatic neck and brain injuries.
Ankwatsa is the co-owner with Jon Jeffrey of Pryde Athletics & Physical Therapy, a thriving destination for people recuperating from a wide range of ailments (from frozen shoulders to spinal-cord injuries) — and for those who are 100% healthy and simply looking to heighten their current level of fitness.
Eleven years after launching Pryde in a 600-square-foot tunnel-shaped space they rented inside a Belleville warehouse, Ankwatsa and Jeffrey added to their robust 10,000-square-foot Canton location by opening a new 4,400-square-foot Northville facility at 17783 Haggerty Road (Unit B).
Bigger, more-visible facility
The new location — just a long Jared Goff TD pass west of I-275 — replaces a smaller downtown Northville facility that was located in the basement of a shopping complex on Main Street.
“We love what we do here and we want to tell the world,” said Ankwatsa, as he stood in the recently-renovated Northville facility. “We love the additional space this location offers. And the visibility this place gives us is amazing.
“We’ve always dreamed of expansion; the race is on to open 10 clinics. While growth can have its challenges, it’s exciting as well because we can positively impact the lives of even more people.”
Pryde is equipped with state-of-the-art training equipment and thousands of pounds of free weights — whatever it takes, Ankwatsa emphasizes, to help his clients reach their potential.
“We offer a variety of programs, including specific sports training, physical therapy, personal training and group classes,” Ankwatsa said. “We also work with high school sports teams.
Pryde’s mission is rewarding
“The most important thing we do is impact members of the community. It’s so rewarding to see people who come here, let’s say, for physical therapy and feel great again as they navigate through their program. We have cultivated so many success stories here — even if it’s simply helping someone with diabetes lower their A1C numbers.
“We’ve developed such a positive culture, parents often drop their kids off here so the athletes can train while the parents go run errands or whatever.”
(To read about Ivan Ankwatsa’s incredible journey from war-torn Uganda to success in Michigan, click here.)
Pryde has collaborated with Northville Public Schools to offer the district’s educators free workout regimens.
“It’s a great perk for teachers that Northville Public Schools offers,” Ankwatsa said. “We have an easy-to-use app that teachers can use to schedule a class or a training session. Teachers are such underserved members of our community. This gives those who do so much for our kids an opportunity to enhance their health.”
Experienced staff
Fueled by an experienced, widely-regarded staff of physical therapists, Pryde’s growth is about to skyrocket, as a Traverse City location is scheduled to open around June 1.
Ankwatsa, who resides in Canton, also said Pryde has its sights set on opening multiple clinics in western Michigan.
“Instead of competing with gyms and existing clinics, we want to collaborate with them,” he explained. “We’re reaching out to gym owners to see if we can merge what they offer with our multiple services.”
Ankwatsa said people who are in dire need of physical therapy do not have to wait weeks to receive a prescription from their health-care providers.
“We have a direct-access plan that allows clients to start their PT program with us so we can help alleviate their agonizing pain as soon as possible,” he said. “And our services are covered by most major insurance companies.”
Quite a journey
Following successful stints as a strength-and-conditioning professional for the University of Michigan and Eastern Kentucky University (Ankwatsa earned an exercise science degree from Eastern Michigan University), he relocated from Richmond, Kentucky, to southeast Michigan after he learned his brother was expecting a child.
To say the move has been a success would be an understatement.
To learn more about Pryde, visit its website here — or call 734-895-1901 to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
